A Moon's Shadow
by Ama no Murakumo
Summary: A/U After being abandoned by Gendo, Shinji meets a strange old man who takes him to be raised by a distant relative. How will this new Shinji react with the many people of Tokyo-3? EvaxDarkCloudxLoveHina crossover ShinjixShinobu
1. A Chance Meeting, a New Home

Author's Note: This is my first fic and I'll admit the crossover is rather strange, but please read and review. I'd appreciate the comments. Also, this an A/U so be prepared for some rather odd turns of events

"blah"- Talking

'_blah_'- Thinking

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, Love Hina, or Dark Cloud. They are all the property of their respective creators. Only the original characters are mine.

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**A Moon's Shadow**

**Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting, a New Home**

If one were to witness the goings on at a small train station outside Tokyo-3, they would likely be heartbroken at listening to the small 4 year old boy that was crying his eyes out outside the station. Trying to wipe the tears from his eyes, he watches a taller bearded man walking away without a sound, surrounded by a group of men in black suits that looked like a bunch of Secret Service rejects.

The boy, thin as a rail with light brown hair and blue eyes that, while usually bright and happy, were now rendered rather dull, attemped to run after the other men, only to be shoved back by one of the black suits. "Don't try to follow me anymore Shinji. I don't need you anymore," the man in the center told the boy, not even bothering to turn around while he said it.

This man, Gendo Ikari, was young Shinji's father and apparently wasn't bothered that he was leaving his only son alone at a train station with no one to look after him.

"You're teacher should be here soon to take you with him, at least until I have a use for you again," Gendo said, still walking away with his back turned to Shinji.

"No daddy, please don't go! I'll be a good boy, I promise!" the younger Ikari yelled, wanting to run to his father but fearing that one of the other men would push or hit him again.

Without a single word, Gendo just entered a car that had just pulled up and, as soon as its passengers were inside, drove off and left Shinji there to fend for himself.

Sniffling, Shinji turned around and tried to look for anyone that might be the 'teacher' that was supposed to pick him up. Alas, there was nobody around except for the youth. Picking up the small bag at his feet that held his few precious belongings and some clothes, Shinji began shuffling his way to the station door to wait for his teacher.

Unknown to the little boy, however, he was being watched by somebody who had held a considerable amount of influence over the entire earth for thousands of years, even if he never did flaunt it like most others in his position would have done.

Still making his way towards the train station, Shinji felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as if he wasn't alone. Startled, he snapped his body around to see who was behind him. Unfortunately, the young boy didn't realize that doing something like that so quickly would shift his center of gravity.

End result: Shinji Ikari meets good old gravity and falls with a loud "OOMPH" as his rear end becomes intimately acquainted with the sidewalk.

Hearing laughter, Shinji looks up at his new companion. _'I didn't know people got that old. Wait a minute..._' he thinks as he stares at a wrinkled old man, dressed from neck to toe in a gaudy yellow robe with a red oversash bearing the yin-yang symbol, a bowl-shaped pointed hat with a bright blue crystal at the base on the top of his head, and holding a gnarled wooden staff that was taller than he was.

The man's clothes and apparent walking stick weren't what got the boy's attention, though. No, Shinji had by now noticed that this man was floating at least six inches off the ground. Being only 4 years old, Shinji didn't freak out as most people would have done. He simply stared, curious as to how the gentle-looking old man was doing what he was.

"E-e-e-excuse me, sir," Shinji stammered, still unaccustomed to being around strangers, "but how can you be flying like that?"

His curiousity piqued by the boy's reaction to his flying ability, the elderly man simply smiled and ruffled the youth's hair. "My boy, I must admit that you do surprise me. When most people see me doing that, they just stare until they pass out," he said with a chortle, remembering the last human he flew in front of. While he felt sorry for the poor fellow, watching him walk face-first into a wall while he stared open-mouthed at him was just too hilarious.

"Oh my, where are my manners," he exclaimed, shaking his head in embarassment, "allow me to introduce myself. My name is Simba, however most people simply know me as the Fairy King"

"Fairy King?!" Shinji said, looking at Simba in bewilderment. "Fairies are real?" This was turning into a weird but interesting conversation for the youngest Ikari.

"Indeed they are, child. We just try to stay out of public eye when we can. But enough about that, I saw what happened with your father," at hearing this, Shinji looked towards the pavement in sorrow, his tears threatening to come out again, "and I have a proposition for you, a deal of a sorts," the Fairy King told him, noticing the child's look of interest.

"W-what kind of deal, Mr. Simba"

"I would like to take you somewhere where you will be loved and can strive to become a person much better than you would be if you stayed here," was the reply.

As soon as the words left the elder's mouth, Shinji's face brightened. A place where he would be loved?

"I sense that your father, Gendo, has nothing but darkness in his heart and I would never want to see such an innocent child as yourself be tainted by that darkness if I can help it." Saying this, Simba placed his hand on Shinji's shoulder and, in a flash, they vanished. Shinji's teacher never showed up at the train station that day, or any other day, not that it would have done him any good.

By now, Shinji realised that they weren't at the train station anymore, and, in a display worthy of home video, freaked out. "WHERE ARE WE!!" Shinji screamed, wheeling his head from side to side in a vain attempt to figure out just where he was and how he got there. Poor Shinji, however, ended up spinning his head one too many times and ended up dizzy, stumbling around like a drunk that had downed one straight vodka too many. Hearing Simba's good-natured laugh, the boy instantly turned on him.

"Mr Simba, how did you do that and where are we?"

"Relax Shinji, we are in Norune Village, a small hamlet in what used to be New Mexico of the United States. This village has been around for thousands of years, and some of my fondest memories are of this village."

Now knowing his location, Shinji asked another question, "So this will be my home from now on?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"You are correct. Though you may not know it, you have family here in this town and they will be raising you and training you."

That last statement was enough to toss Shinji's entire world on its head. "I have family! Here?" he exclaimed, believing it too good to be true.

"Once again, you are correct. Through your mother, you are distantly related to the mayor of this village and descended from not one, but two of the greatest heroes to have graced the Earth," the Fairy King said sagely, waiting for the young man to absorb everything before continuing.

Here, Shinji caught the last comment and looked stupified. "Wait, I'm descended from two heroes? How? I'm just a scrawny useless Japanese boy," the youngest Ikari said, by now completely entranced by his companion's tale.

"Well, _that_ is a story to remember. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Nodding, Shinji sat down on a nearby rock, looking excited at the prospect of learning about his family.

"Long ago, before many of the countries you are now familiar with ever existed, the Earth was known as Terra by its inhabitants and there were actually two moons in the sky. Since then, one was destroyed but that is a story for another time. Now then, even back in those times, Norune Village was still around and it was here that I met your...well, let's just say grandfather and grandmother. Too many greats for even me to keep track of. Anyway, it was roughly 6000 years ago when an great and terrible evil was created and wreaked havoc upon Terra. It was known as the Dark Genie, and held many of the powers that we fairies possess. It was so powerful, even my magic was unable to damage it. Fortunately, with the help of the inhabitants of Terra's yellow moon, the Moon People, the Dark Genie was sealed inside a massive urn, its powers held down by the combined forces of fairy and moon magic. However, the peace came at a terrible price: over half of Terra was obliterated in the Genie's wake. Even more unfortunate, it only took 400 years for a man from East Terra by the name of General Flag to obtain the urn and release the Dark Genie," Shinji gasped at hearing this tidbit of information, "Flag wanted to use the Genie's terrible power for war, and succeeded in wiping out most of West Terra in a single night with its help. I, however, managed to seal eveybody into magical spheres called Atla so that the people of West Terra would be kept safe. Now comes the part where your grandfather comes into the picture. His name was Toan, and he was a young man that lived here in Norune Village when the Dark Genie attacked. I saved him from the Genie's attack and gave him a powerful magical stone called the Atlamillia. Only someone with a pure heart like your grandfather would be able to utilize the stone's power to drive back the Dark Genie and release the fragments of West Terra that I had sealed into the Atla. Using the Atlamillia, he journeyed around Terra, restoring many of the cities that were blown apart by Flag and the Dark Genie. It was on this journey that Toan met and befriended your grandmother, whose soul was as pure as his own. Her name was Xiao, and while she was a lycanthrope, part cat and part human thanks to a magic potion, she was Toan's most trusted ally in his fight against the Dark Genie. Eventually, using the Atlamillia's ability to travel through time, Toan and his allies were able to destroy the Dark Genie at its source, freeing Terra from its terrible influence"

At this point, Shinji nodded and looked up at Simba, "But if my grandmother was part cat, how did she and my grandfather have children?"

Being the son of Yui Ikari had some advantages, and Shinji was no fool, even for a 4 year old. He knew the general theory behind reproduction and at least knew where babies came from.

The Fairy King chuckled and said, a smirk gracing his lips, "That, Shinji my boy, was my doing. I knew that Toan and Xiao loved each other with all their hearts and so, using the remaining power of Toan's Atlamillia, cast a spell that turned her completely human. One of my better ideas, if I do say so myself."

Smiling, Shinji nodded again and looked around, "So, are we going to see my cousin, I guess?"

"Yes we are," the Fairy King replied, taking Shinji by the hand and leading him to a large house that looked strangely like an old pre-Second Impact submarine, only made of wood. Knocking on the door, it opened to reveal a young man of around 26 years old, with a short crop of dark brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing black cargo pants and a white short-sleeved muscle shirt that did nothing to hide his well toned frame.

Upon seeing the old king of fairies, he now sported an obscenely large smile instead of a look of confusion at being bothered in the middle of the night. "Simba! It's good to see you again old friend. How have you been?" he asked, wrapping the older man in a warm hug. Noticing the pint-sized guest with him, he said, grinning like nobody's business, "Since when did you babysit, Simba? I know for a fact that being the Fairy King takes a lot of time. Or were you jerking my chain?"

Smirking at the young man's joke, Simba replied, "You'll be the one babysitting from now on, Arthur. This is your distant cousin, Shinji Ikari, and you'll be raising him since he was abandoned by his father."

"WHAT!!" the man, now known as Arthur, screamed, looking at Simba as if he just sprouted a pair of extra heads. "His own FATHER abandoned him!? Then don't say anything else, old man. I'll take the boy in and raise him as if he were my own"

Nodding to Arthur, the Fairy King smiled down at Shinji, who was just getting over his cousin's screaming fit and now looked a kid who just won an all-you-can-eat candy buffet, "Well then, Shinji, this is where we part for now. But I promise that I'll visit when I can so listen to Arthur and heed his advise. He's a good man."

"I will, Mr. Simba."

"And stop with the Mr. stuff. Just call me Simba, since Mr. makes me feel older than I really am," came the reply, with a loud chuckle by both of the older men.

"And if you become strong enough later, I'll have a present for you." Waving to the two cousins, Simba instantly vanished to the Fairy Realm. Turning to stare at his older cousin, Shinji cringed at seeing the smirk that was plastered on Arthurs round face.

"You're mine now, little man."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

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There's Chapter 1, everyone. Hope you liked it. I'll try to get the next installment out as soon as possible.

Next time on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 2: A Family Reunion For the Ages. Gendo orders Shinji back to Tokyo-3. How will the young hero react? Hopefully by going and causing as much trouble as he possibly can!

Have fun till next time, you all!


	2. A Family Reunion for the Ages

Disclaimer: I don't own jack about Eva.

Author's Notes:  
-First of all, I WILL be going over Shinji's time in Norune Village, but mostly in flashback fragments scattered throughout the story. The major points are too numerous for me to lump as one chapter so this makes things easier for me.  
-Please read and review. Any comments on how to improve my writing and make the story more interesting would be excellent. I could also use ideas for humorous situations to put into the story.  
-This is the chapter were Love Hina starts to come into play, so don't worry about how I'm gonna squeeze it in.

Now then, let the story continue!

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**A Moon's Shadow**

**Chapter 2: A Family Reunion for the Ages**

"The NERVE of him!"

"Jeez Artie, don't burst a blood vessel. Though I have to admit I _am_ insulted at this."

Glaring at the letter in his hand as if doing so would incinerate the accursed thing, Arthur Dran (A/N: so sue me, I couldn't think of a better last name!) turned to the young man next to him and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shinji, you and I both know what this means. That...thing wants to use you for his own sick games and I for one will not allow it," he said, trying desperately to keep control of his temper.

Content to simply stare back at his mentor, cousin, and surrogate father, Shinji Ikari shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the cause of this whole mess. It was a letter, addressed to Shinji, that had only one word in its entirety: COME. It didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce who had sent the letter and why. The thing that puzzled Shinji, though, was one simple question that kept repeating itself in his mind.

_'How in the HELL did this letter get here? Has the rat bastard been spying on me,_' was the main concern of the young man, considering he had never informed his male genetic donor of his new whereabouts.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Shinji then looked up to Arthur with a grin that made the older man start sweating bullets. _'I know that look..._' he thought, remembering very well what happened the last time Shinji looked that happy, _'I would say God have mercy on Gendo's soul, but the jackass deserves it. Pity I won't be there to witness the festivities._' Nervously, he asked Shinji what he was thinking.

"Well if Gendo Ikari wants me to come, then he'll get his wish," Shinji said, already walking around his room packing everything he would need for his return trip to Japan. _'Poor bastard. Looks like he's about to find out that "Be careful what you wish for" is truer than he thinks,_' was the only thought going through Arthur's brain as he imagined the chaos Shinji would cause in Tokyo-3.

In the 10 years since he took the boy in, it didn't take long for Shinji to overcome his shy and meek personality of before due to the harsh training Arthur and the villagers put him through. Unfortunately, the pressure seemed to have an effect on Ikari's mind no one, not even Simba, could have predicted: The boy had developed a highly demented personality, almost sadistic in nature.

Oh, he wouldn't torture anybody, since that went against the young man's morals. But he would make sure the person he was screwing with squirmed till they completely lost it. He couldn't count the number of headaches he suffered trying to beat the boy at his mind games, and no matter how hard he tried, Shinji still had the last laugh. Still, the pranks he pulled were all absolutely hilarious...so long as they weren't directed at HIM, mind you. He figured that Gendo was probably the only exception to the no-torture rule, though.

Staring again at the boy he had come to think of as a son, Arthur couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in Shinji. After all those years of rigorous training, the young man had become a splendid warrior, even with his odd little personality quirk.

Shinji had grown quite well and was rather tall for someone of Japanese descent. His eyes, still a bright blue, had grown sharper and his pupils appeared slightly dilated, much like a cat's. His body, while still thin, was packed to the hilt with muscle and had very little body fat. His once short brown hair had been grown out some, now being just above shoulder-length.

Being a modest young man, Shinji's clothing was rather conservative and simple. His top was a short-sleeved sky blue shirt and over that he wore a typical Norune Village hand-sewn silver poncho. For pants, he wore a light, comfortable pair of form-fitting black slacks with gold strips running down the sides.

After seeing Simba's memories during a lecture on the Dark Genie one day, Shinji had seen his grandparents during their youth and thought Toan had good fashion sense, which explains the young Ikari now looking quite a bit like the deceased ancestor that he looked up to so reverently.

Strapped to his back was a long black katana sheath holding his favored weapon, the Tsukikage. With a three foot long blade that could slice through rock, this sword was given to Shinji by Simba, who informed the young man that it had once belonged to his grandfather. That was all it took for Shinji to steel his resolve into learning to master the blade as quickly as possible.

To do this, Arthur had imported sword masters from around the world, including an accomplished swordswoman from Japan named Tsuruko Aoyama. Taking fragments of his many teachers' fighting styles and combining them, the young Ikari eventually succeeded in creating his own personal style, which he called the Beast God style. (A/N: A cookie goes to whoever can figure out where this name came from )

The most intriguing feature of Shinji's wardrobe, however, was the sapphire-blue stone that was currently imbedded into a leather glove on his left hand. After Shinji had mastered the Tsukikage, Simba had came and given Shinji the present that he had promised so many years ago: his very own Atlamillia.

The aged Fairy King informed Shinji that he was only to use the stone to protect those that he truly cared for, something that the boy had already planned on doing anyway.

"Well, it's plainly obvious that you plan on going. Just promise me one thing, Shinji..." Arthur said, enveloping Shinji in a bone-crushing hug.

"What's that Artie?"

"Kick that stinking SOB in the balls for me, would ya?"

"I was planning on doing that anyway, but sure. Wonder how he's gonna like talking in crescendo for a couple months?" This question produced a large laugh from the two men as they finished packing and informed the village of Shinji's impending departure.

That night, Norune Village was a party house as everyone held a festival to celebrate Shinji's leaving. To wit it was, as Arthur called it, "The best damn going away party in the history of the village."

By the time things had settled down, Shinji and the town children were the only ones left sober as everyone else had managed to consume enough alcohol to down an elephant. The only thing Shinji could think was, '_That's gonna be the world's worst hangover, I just know it. I almost feel sorry for them._' Here, Shinji paused for a moment. '_Almost..._'

Sure enough, in the morning, everyone in town save the one leaving was frantically searching for a toilet in order to reintroduce the contents of their stomachs to the world. Muttering to himself, Arthur clapped Shinji on the back as Dran, the guardian of the Divine Beast Cavern, landed in front of them to give the latter his ride to Tokyo-3. (A/N: You didn't he'd WALK there, did ya?)

Smiling to to man he considered his father, at least more so than the one he was about to meet with, Shinji turned to Dran as the large shaggy beast dropped a map of the world into the boy's outstretched hand.

"That's a magical world map, Shinji. I gave one just like it to Toan when he started his journey. All you have to do is point to the place you want to go and you'll be taken there instantly."

Nodding to the God of Beasts, Shinji smirked as he simply pointed to Tokyo-3 and vanished before anybody had the chance to say goodbye. Staring at the spot his ward used to be in, Arthur slapped his hand to his face.

"Cheeky little bastard..."

**(Tokyo-3)**

"We're sorry, but a state of emergency has been declared for the Tokyo-3 area. Pleas etry again later and make your way to the nearest shelter."

"Well that was useless..." Shinji snapped, slamming the public phone down as he stared around. The streets were completely deserted except for a couple people that were still filing into the shelter entrance nearby. Taking a photo out of his bag, Shinji stared at the purple-haired bombshell that was printed on it.

Tall, thin, and with a bust size that looked painful to anybody who wanted a good night's sleep the woman, identified as Misato Katsuragi, had pointedly drawn an arrow to her well defined...umm...assets and had written 'Check this out' next to said arrow. Sighing, Shinji started to walk to an empty table at a restaurant across the street when he felt somebody jostle into him from the side.

"S-s-sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going..." came a soft voice that drew Shinji's eyes downward.

A young blue-haired girl, possibly his own age, had fallen to the ground after running into Shinji and shivered as if she were afraid Shinji would hit her or something. Glancing up at him, the girl's gentle blue eyes wandered over him curiously. After all, its not every day that you bump into somebody wearing a poncho with a sword strapped to their back.

Smiling, Shinji shook his head and helped the girl up. _'She's kinda cute,_' Shinji thought, a small blush creeping onto his face.

Trying to regain his composure, the young Ikari cleared his throat and picked up the girl's bag. "Don't worry about it, it isn't the first time somebody's run into me. The name's Shinji Ikari. What's yours?" he said, still smiling at her.

"S-shinobu. Shinobu Maehara," she replied, suddenly finding her skirt very interesting as she shyly gripped it in her hands.

Noticing her uneasiness, Shinji pointed to the shelter, whose doors had just been slammed shut, "Is that where you were headed, Ms. Maehara?"

"Yes, my friends are all inside and I lost track of them on the way here."

Hearing this, Shinji snorted. "Some friends. How come they never came back for you?"

Shinobu blushed, not knowing how to respond to that. In truth, Shinji's logic seemed rather validated. before either of them could think anything else on the matter, an enormous gale wind blew through, nearing tossing the two off their feet.

Tossing their heads up, both of them were, needless to say, shocked as they saw a group of ballistic missles heading towards a towering monstrosity that looked like something out of a cheap sci-fi B flick. Its gangly arms and legs were a total opposite to the stocky upper portion of its body, and the face (at least Shinji thought it was the face) looked as if it were made of bone. Speaking of bone, what appeared to be the thing's skeleton was jutting out of its skin, giving Shinji only one way to describe what he was seeing...

"Damn...that has got to be the _ugliest_ Godzilla reject I have ever seen." Despite being scared out of her wits, even Shinobu couldn't help but giggle upon hearing Shinji's summary of the creature. Watching it completely annihilate the helicopters and jets that pelted it with artillery, Shinji stood in front of the young girl protectively and, preparing to unsheath the Tsukikage, was ready to protect his new companion despite the obvious size difference. Luckily for Shinji, he never got the chance as a blue Renault Alpine suddenly careened out of nowhere and nearly flattened the two children. As the window rolled down, Shinji recognized the woman in the driver's seat as the Katsuragi lady that was supposed to pick him up.

"You Shinji Ikari?"

Nodding dumbly, Shinji grabbed Shinobu by the arm and hauled her into the car as the creature finished off the remaining aircraft and turned its sites on the little blue vehicle.

"Hey pal, I just came for you. We can't take her," Misato exclaimed, fully intending to tell the girl off and order her to a shelter.

Shinji, though had other plans and pulled out his sword, growling dangerously. "If you know what's good for you, you'll get this hunk of tin moving right NOW," he roared, prompting the purple-haired major to gulp and put the pedal to the medal, suddenly not caring if they had an extra passenger or not.

Shinobu, meanwhile, got over the young boy's attitude swing and was now clutching onto his arm.

"E-e-e-excuse me, miss," she said, causing Misato to stare at her indifferently, "but what is that thing?"

"That, young lady, is what we at NERV call an Angel." Shinji decided to add his own two cents to the conversation.

"Angel? As in heavenly messenger, prissy, robe wearing, halo-above-the-head angels? Why should we believe you?"

"Look, that doesn't matter. Your old man came up with the code name for them" Hearing this, Shinji was now sporting a full blown grin that scared both of his female companions to their bones.

"Oh really? Guess I'm not surprised. That old coot wouldn't know an angel if it came up and shoved Gabriel's Horn up his ass," he replied, giving the girls a rather disturbing mental image. Shinobu looked at Shinji worriedly.

"You don't get along with your father?" she asked.

"Not really," was his scoffing answer as he stared at the younger girl for a moment, "especially considering the guy left me to rot when I was 4."

Shinobu gasped. _'His father abandoned him? How could somebody do such a thing?_'

Misato, though, never heard this as she was busy watching the aircraft ditch the angel as if it had the bubonic plague. "HOLD ON!! They're gonna use an N2 mine!? Get down, you two," she screamed, throwing herself on top of the two as said bomb went off, creating a massive shockwave that tossed the unfortunate car tumbling down the road.

(Meanwhile, in NERV HQ)

"Ha, that had to have worked! Nothing could survive that...it was a direct hit!" screamed a UN general as they watched the live satillite feed.

Up above them, two men were watching the events play out silently. The taller one, with graying hair and a distinguished countanence, was Kozo Fuyutsuki, the Sub-Commander of NERV. Sitting next to him was Gendo Ikari, Supreme Commander of Nerv and resident Bastard King of Tokyo-3, not that anyone told him this mind you. Come on, only a lunatic or somebody with balls of steel would say something like that to Gendo's face (coughShinjicough).

Staring up at the screen, Fuyutsuki shook his head and said, "Conventional weapons have no effect on the Angel's. The AT-Field is too powerful."

Nodding to his former mentor, Gendo smirked as the video feed came back on to show that the Angel had been almost completely unharmed. In fact, if one were to hazard a guess, they would say that it just served to piss the damn thing off even more.

"Indeed. Reports show that the Third Child is on his way, so this will not be a total loss."

Setting down the phone he speaking into, the head general stared up at the two NERV commanders. "Alright Ikari, you've got the go-ahead to try your luck with this demon. Don't disappoint us."

"Of course not. This is the reason that NERV exists, after all." Saying that, Gendo got up from his Laz-E-Asshole(1) and took the elevator down to the lower levels, leaving Fuyutsuki with his thoughts, _'Their first meeting in 10 years. This should be interesting._'

By now, Misato Katsuragi had arrived with the two children and was now (Queue drumroll) hopelessly lost.

_'I know we've passed that staircase before..._' Shinji and Shinobu thought together, both sighing as their companion slowly lost her cool. "AHHH dammit! Why can't they make this place easier to navigate."

No sooner did the words leave her lips when the elevator they were standing in front of open to reveal a blonde woman wearing a lab coat over a blue one-piece swimsuit and a look of total irritation on her face. The three wanderers each had different thoughts on her appearance.

_'She looks pissed...royally._'

_'Oh crap, now I'm in for it...'_

_'Ohhh, I'll never be that good-looking'_

"Misato, need I remind you that we're short on time and manpower. So why are you wandering around here when we need you on the bridge!" the newcomer yelled, smacking the older woman over the head.

"Oww! Quit it, Ritsuko. I'm still learning the layout of this place, you know that."

Changing her gaze to the two children, the bottle blonde sighed. "And to add to that, you brought a civilian with you. I'm guessing that what she is since I know the Commander doesn't have a daughter," she tersely replied. "So the boy...he's the Third Child, right?"

_'The old fart's the commander of this place...will wonders never cease?'_ Shinji thought as Ritsuko grabbed Shinobu and attempted to drag her away. Seeing this, Shinji thrust his hand out and grabbed the offending woman's arm, glaring at her in a way that would make even Gendo wet his trousers.

"Leave her alone, blondie. She would've been killed by that thing up there if I hadn't brought her with us," he snapped, making sure his point was clear by reaching for the hilt of the Tsukikage with his free hand.

Ritsuko Akagi thankfully got the picture and let go of Shinobu as if she were on fire. Deciding it would be better for their health if the girl just stayed, the two older women led their younger charges down the elevator and, after five minutes, into a pitch-black room.

"Alright who turned off the lights? Did you guys forget to pay the electric bill or something?" Almost as if mocking him, the lights came on in full force, giving Shinji and Shinobu a close-up view of...

"It's a face...is this what my old man's been working on for the past 10 years?"

"Correct." Hearing a voice he hadn't in so long, Shinji's eyes darted upward to rest on the visage of Gendo Ikari.

"Jeez pops if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were overcompensating for something if the horn on that thing is any indication," was Shinji's remark, causing Gendo's eyebrows to shoot up into his hairline, Misato to gape at him like a fish while holding in the laugh she was about to expel, and Ritsuko to think, _'Is that the reason he put that there...sounds like a logical explanation.'_

"That is irrelevant. This is Evangelion Unit-01, the last hope for mankind, and you Shinji Ikari, will pilot it. If not," Gendo paused as everyone saw a girl with light blue hair, crimson eyes, and wrapped in bandages like a mummy was rolled in, "then she will do it."

"Kiss my ass." Misato couldn't hold it any longer, and let out a gut-wrenching laugh that echoed throughout the room. "Give me one good reason to pilot that thing and I might consider it, cause I hopfully doubt you'd be dumb enough to send somebody in that condition to pilot," Shinji said, suddenly feeling a pull on his arm. Looking down, he saw Shinobu staring at him with wide eyes, as if not believing what he was saying. Blinking, Shinji sighed, knowing that he had no other choice.

"Alright, you damn codger. I'll pilot it, but before I do I have present I want to give you." Gendo blinked, wondering just what his son was going to give him.

"And what is that, Third Child?" Poor bastard never knew what hit him.

CRACK

Everyone in the vicinity blanched at having seen Shinji Ikari, the newest pilot of NERV, pull a massive brick from his bag and fling it with devastating accuracy into the Supreme Commander's 'holy place,' thereby causing said man's eyes to nearly bulge out of his skull as he screeched and collapsed to the floor in blinding agony, his voice having attained an octave only previously believed to be used by opera singers.

Turning to Ritsuko, Shinji asked the one thing on his mind other than his father's squealing cries, "Okay Dr. Akagi, where's the driver's manual to this damn thing."

* * *

That's it for this chapter so read and review please.

Next up, on the Moon's Shadow, Chapter 3: Unit-01 vs. Sachiel, Shinji Unleashes the Atlamillia

(1)-Come on, you gotta admit that Gendo seems like the kinda guy to sit in a chair like that. Might explain his attitude anyway.


	3. Unit 01 vs Sachiel

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, Love Hina, or Dark Cloud. They are the property of their respective companies.

Author's Notes -First of all, thanks for the reviews so far. I'm glad to know that you all seem to like the story so far.

-Gunman: I remember there was supposed to be a plate of glass in front of Gendo, and I had planned on explaining how Shinji hit his father in this chapter. I hope you like how the explanation plays out.

-Keep sending reviews people! I appreciate the comments you all send.

Now then...on with the story!!

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**A Moon's Shadow**

**Chapter 3: Unit-01 vs. Sachiel: Shinji Unleashes the Atlamillia**

Ritsuko Akagi was not the kind of person who was easily surprised. Her experiences as the head of Project E at NERV made her almost completely unflappable. _Almost_ being the key word there. So it should come as no surprise to see her eyes about to pop out of her skull as she watched the son of her main love interest suddenly materialize a large brick out of his bag and hurl it right into said love interest's groin.

Tearing her eyes away from Shinji, she stared up at the platform where Gendo Ikari was now writhing in pain at having one of his most sensitive body parts violated by a chunk of mortar. Looking to the security agents standing next to him, Ritsuko finally found her voice.

"What the hell happened to the bulletproof glass that was supposed to be there!"

The agents looked at each other skeptically before readjusting their gaze on Dr. Akagi, "Well ma'am, the Commander ordered us to have it removed when he came down here. Said something about wanting to intimidate the Third Child by making his voice have more resonance in the cage," they said.

Misato and Ritsuko stared at each other, large sweatdrops forming on their heads as they both thought the same thing, _'He removed his best form of protection just so he could try to scare Shinji?'_ This in turn forced them to look at the boy in question, who was simply waiting for them to tell him what to do.

Regaining her composure, Ritsuko cleared her throat and turned on the technicians. "I want Commander Ikari in the Medical Ward, stat!"

As the various techs scrambled to take their esteemed commander to the infirmary, Dr. Akagi looked at the grinning Shinji. "We'll discuss your actions later, Pilot Ikari. Right now we have to destroy that Angel. So let's get you set up and ready to go."

What followed was a long, monotonous explanation on the fine details of operating the Evangelion. As Shinji prepared to enter the entry plug, something that he swore to Shinobu looked just like a giant tampon, he took one last look at his blue-haired companion and rounded on Misato.

"Major Katsuragi, I'm leaving Ms. Maehara in your hopefully capable hands. If I come back and she has so much as one hair out of place, I'll make what I did to Gendo look like a day on the beach in comparison." As if to prove his point, he pointedly sent her a glare that promised pain and humiliation if he wasn't listened to. Misato could only nod and take Shinobu by the hand as they took Shinji's bag and headed up to the command bridge where they would oversee the battle.

**(Shelter D-7)**  
Nobody knew what was going on topside. All they knew was that a state of emergency had been declared and they had been rounded up and herded into the underground shelter without any explanation. And frankly, the residents of the Hinata Apartments were not happy with this.

"I can't believe this! What's going on up there," Naru Narusegawa said as she ground a sheet of paper she happened to have into powder. The long haired brunette was not the patient type, and she was rather...vocal in expressing her opinions at the moment. Next to her, a short haired young woman with ash blonde hair and her eyes closed in the fashion of a fox put a hand on Naru's shoulder in a vain attempt to calm her.

"Hang on Naru. Let's not be hasty here. There has to be a good reason for this. What worries me more is the fact that Shinobu's missing." At this, the rest of the group nodded their heads solemnly. A young girl dressed as a samurai with long black hair spoke up.

"I agree with Kitsune, Naru. Losing our tempers will only make the situation worse," Motoko Aoyama said, looking up at an older woman that looked remarkably similar to her. This was Tsuruko, her older sister and, unknown to the rest of the group, one of Shinji's teachers. Tsuruko looked deep in thought to the rest, and in fact this was because she sensed a familiar ki.

"I have a feeling that Shinobu will be perfectly fine," the elder Aoyama said sagely, prompting the others to look at her in wonder. Kaolla Su, a dark skinned foreign girl with bright blonde hair and Shinobu's best friend, looked up at Tsuruko expectantly.

"How do you know she'll be okay?"

"Because I can sense her ki near one that I'm very familiar with." This caused a ripple of shock to course through Motoko, who immediately asked, "Who are you talking about, sister?"

"The ki I'm sensing is a young man that I had the pleasure of training in basic kendo techniques during my vacation in America. His name is Shinji Ikari and he was one of the most brilliant pupils I ever taught. His skill progressed very quickly and by the time I came back to Japan, he was already giving some of the veteran instructors there with me a hard time." This however only made Motoko and Naru even more worried.

"You mean that Shinobu's with a male right now," they screamed. Tsuruko glared at the two of them, making them shiver in fright. They all knew what a pissed off Tsuruko Aoyama was capable of.

"Just because he is male does not make him a pervert. In fact, Shinji is one of the noblest and most polite young men I have ever encountered. There is no doubt in my mind that he would rather saw off his arms with a rusty blade than hurt an innocent person." Keitaro and Haruka Urashima, the brown-haired nephew and aunt tandem that ran the Hinata Apartments, could only nod and hope that Tsuruko was right in her assesment of this Shinji Ikari.

**(Central Dogma)  
**"Alright Shinji. You ready for your big debut as an Eva pilot?"

"Personally I wanna know why I have to be the one to do this but I guess I don't have much of a choice. Besides, I have a bit frustration to vent and big, bad, and ugly up there will make the perfect outlet."

"S-shinji...be careful out there, okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Shinobu. I'm tougher than I look. Besides, protecting you is my main priority right now and the reason I'm piloting this thing." Hearing Shinji's response, the young Maehara girl could only blush like a ripened tomato as Misato grinned devilishly.

"Major Katsuragi," Misato looked up to see Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki looking at her curiously, "do you happen to know where Commander Ikari is?"

Trying to keep her face as straight as possible, still remembering the events in the Eva cage, she replied, "Commander Ikari is currently resting in the Medical Ward at this moment." The stunned Fuyutsuki could only ask, "Why?"

Ritsuko and Shinobu both giggled as they remembered what Shinji had done. Akagi finally answered, "Someone hit him finally, and it wasn't pretty." This got the attention of everyone on the bridge, including Maya Ibuki, Makoto Hyuga, and Shigeru Aoba, the head bridge technicians.

"Who!?"

"Pilot Ikari. He told Gendo that he had a present for him and when the he asked what it was, Shinji took a huge brick from his bag and nailed his father right between the legs with it. The fool had the protective glass on the platform removed so he could try to scare Shinji with a louder and more intimidating voice. I'd say that his plan backfired."

The silence was deafening. Everyone on the bridge was staring at Ritsuko open-mouthed, as if not believing what they just heard. Alas, the peace couldn't last long, as the entire bridge crew erupted in torrents of laughter, the Sub-Commander included.

"Oh god! His own son?!"

"This is priceless! I would've payed good money to see THAT!"

"What about Section-2?"

"Turns out they didn't know whether to high-five Pilot Ikari or shoot him."

Hearing the hilarity that was going on in the command center, Shinji smiled even harder, feeling good about how he had likely rendered his father impotent. The good times, though, couldn't last as the Angel let everyone know how it didn't appreciate being ignored. A large BANG was heard as Central Dogma trembled in the wake of the Angel's attack on the Geofront. At this point, a group of nurses rolled a stretcher onto the bridge. On it was the blue-haired, red-eyed girl that Gendo had wanted to force into the Eva if Shinji had refused. Ritsuko noticed her arrival and walked up to the nurses.

"What is Rei doing here," she asked, staring coolly at the group.

"Pilot Ayanami wanted to observe the battle," they replied, looking from the respected doctor to the heavily bandaged girl. Misato decided to enter the conversation at that point.

"So Rei, what makes you wanna watch Shinji fight?"

"I wish to observe his battle tactics and...I beleive the phrase to use is 'cheer him on.'"

Not knowing what to make of the stoic young woman's remarks, Misato simply shrugged and turned around, thrusting her fist into the air as she loudly proclaimed, "Then let's get this show on the road! Ready Shinji!"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"LAUNCH EVA UNIT-01!!"

At Misato's command the large biomechanical behemoth was rocketed towards the surface. Feeling the G-forces pressing down on his body, Shinji let out a loud and gleeful "WEEEEE," as the Eva neared its destination. Staring at Shinji like a fish, Misato could only hold her head in shame.

_'We're putting our lives in the hands of a deranged lunatic...'_ (A/N: Imagine her reaction when Asuka shows up!)

**(On the surface)  
**Watching the ground open up and a strange creature of its own size appear from beneath it, Sachiel could only stare in wonder as the locks holding Unit-01 down were released. Inside, Shinji was thinking through his battle strategy.

_'So this thing operates on thought, eh?'_

_'Correct, my son.'_ Hearing a strange voice, Shinji did as he usually does in these situations. He thinks, _'What the hell...'_

_'Your language aside, I'm sure you recognize my voice don't you?'_ Shinji could only nod dumbly as he felt long lost memories pushed to the forefront of his mind.

_'So mother...how exactly are you talking to me?'_

_'Well my soul is inside Unit-01, so when you sych with me, I can communicate with you thanks to that pretty little stone on your hand,'_ the disembodied voice of Yui Ikari says as Shinji stares at his Atlamillia, _'and I can also read your memories. You seem to have taken a shine to that girl you ran into...Shinobu was it?'_

Shinji could practically feel his mother's teasing tone as she said that, _'Don't go there mom. Sure she's cute and all but I doubt she would like me,'_

_'You never know unless you try.'_

_'...Good point. I just might ask her out later. But only as friends, okay? I wanna get to know her better first.'_

By now, the Third Angel had grown tired of being ignored, even though Shinji's internal dialogue with Yui only lasted about all of 30 seconds. With that in mind, Sachiel decided to take the initiative and lumbered forth, catching Shinji off guard with a straight punch to the face that introduced Unit-01's face to the pavement.

"That's it. No more Mr. Nice Shinji..."

The now royally P.O.'ed pilot jack-knifed Unit-01 to its feet and launched himself on top of the Angel, taking it to the ground as Shinji tried his hand at bashing in the hapless celestial being's face with his bare hands. The bridge crew could only stare in astonishment as the new pilot took 'opening a can of whoop-ass' to a whole new level. Afraid that its new enemy would crack its face plate, Sachiel sent a cross beam right into Unit-01's torso, sending the Eva flying back into a nearby building. Struggling to its feet, the Angel then grabbed Unit-01 by the arm and proceeded to snap it in half.

"SON OF A..." The following rant by Shinji was so foul-mouthed that even an army of Asukas would have been rendered speechless.

"Shinji that's not your real arm," Misato yelled, trying to calm the volatile Eva pilot down.

"I DON'T CARE IF IT ISN'T MY REAL ARM IT STILL HURTS GODDAMMIT IT!!"

_'Uh-oh...'_ Yui thought as she felt the energy emitted by her son's strange arm decor pulse more powerfully. _'That can't be good.'_

"So ya wanna play hard ball, asshole? Then BRING IT ON!"

With that, the Atlamillia shifted from a cool blue to a blazing crimson as it pumped energy into its host. Unit-01 glowed with an unholy red aura as the arm that Sachiel had broken reset itself and healed instantly. Feeling the pure rage that its opponent emitted, the Third Angel backed away slowly. If it could've understood and spoken human language, there was only one word to summarize the pain that was about to be inflicted upon it...

_'Crap.'_

Not giving Sachiel time to run, Shinji sprinted head-on into the Angel's gut. It was gored through Unit-01's horn as it was plowed through several city blocks linebacker style. Shinobu could only watch in fascination as the strange but kind young man that just saved her life earlier today clawed into the monster like a crack addict trying to get his fix. She winced as she heard every punch connect with enough force to render buildings to smoking rubble and flatten people into pancakes. Even Rei, the girl sitting next to her on the stretcher, was visibly flinching as they witnessed Shinji dispense his own brand of justice on the heavenly messenger.

Meanwhile, the pilot of Unit-01 was seeing red as he relentless pummeled Sachiel into the ground. Gripping what he thought was the thing's ribs, he tore two of them completely off and started stabbing said thing in the face plate with them. Soon growing tired of this, Shinji grabbed the Angel's legs and hefted it up above his head completely, before bringing it right back down to the ground with an earth shattering CRASH. This continued on for over three minutes, with Unit-01 using the Third Angel like a super deformed Whack-A-Mole mallet before spinning around and sending its helpless opponent skyward and into a mountain over eight kilometers away. Kneeling down, Shinji kicked off and tore after the Angel with a thunderous roar. Engaging the Prog Knife he had heard Ritsuko mention from the Eva's shoulder panel, the young Ikari barrelled into Sachiel and commenced carving a steak out of its hide. He didn't care that Misato was screaming at him to try and destroy the Angel's bright red core. That would make this too easy. This thing was going to feel pain and boy, would it feel the pain.

It was finally too much for Sachiel. After being introduced to a whole new realm of pain by the monstrosity currently slicing it apart, the Third Angel decided that the Lilim had become too powerful for it to be able to complete its mission. Its new goal set, Sachiel mustered up the last of its strength and leaped onto Unit-01, its eyes glowing as it self-destructed in a cross-shaped blaze of light.

"NO! SHINJI!"

Shinobu's knuckles turned whiter than Rei's skin as she witnessed the devastation resulting from Sachiel's kamikaze attack. Tears threatening to stream down her face, she reached over to Misato and hugged her waist as the older woman tried to comfort her despite her own fears that their new pilot just got atomized. None of them, however, were prepared to see what happened next. Through the smoke, they watched as the demonic form of Unit-01 came slowly marching out of the flames, its eyes still burning red and armor halfway melted off. Shivering, Misato turned to her oldest friend and asked, "Ritsuko, what the hell just happened?"

Shaking her head, the bottle blonde could only reply, "I have no idea, Misato. If it hadn't been for Shinji activating the Prog Knife, I would have guessed that the Eva went berserk. What on earth _is_ that kid?" not knowing the answer to her question, Misato simply stared back at the screen.

Opening the visual link, Shinji's face appeared on the screen with his trademark grin plastered on his face. Looking to Shinobu, he gave her a thumbs up and said, "Hey Shin-chan, how was that? Not bad for a rookie, huh?" Smiling at the her new friend, but blushing madly at the pet name he gave her, she nodded to him.

"You did wonderful Shinji. That was amazing!"

"Thanks. Well Ms. Katsuragi, I'm bringing this thing home." Nodding to him, Misato simply sighed as she smiled as well.

"Good work Shinji."

As the young man brought Unit-01 back to the cages, Shinji leaned back in his seat and reached out to his mother's soul, _'How was that, mom?'_

_'Impressive, son. But we gotta do something about that temper of yours...'_ was Yui's final comment as her son exited the entry plug and emerged to the loud cheers of the bridge crew. Stepping onto the platform, Shinji was approached by Rei, who looked at the newest pilot with curiousity. Blinking, he tilted his head and waited for the silent girl to say something. Finally, breaking the silence, Rei nodded to her now coworker with respect and said, "Your battle was enlightening, Pilot Ikari. I hope to be able to go into combat with you soon."

Having said her piece, Rei simply turned around and walked away, leaving a bewildered Shinji and a Shinobu who was now tugging at his arm in excitement as Misato led the two of them down the corridor in order to finalize Shinji's entry into NERV. Walking with a new spring in his step, Shinji could only think of one thing...

_'Life's about to get a lot more interesting I believe. Not even my old man can ruin my mood. Speaking of whom...'_

**(NERV Medical Ward)  
**Gendo Ikari was blue in the face as he could only wince while the doctor tending to him applied more ice to his injured area. His pain aside, he swore in his mind that his son would pay dearly for this.

_'Mark my words, Shinji Ikari. You will regret this even if its the last thing I do.'_ Famous last words.

"Commander I hate to be the one to tell you this...but I'm afraid we'll have to give you prosthetics since we can't fully repair your injury."

"NOOOO!!"

Gendo Ikari didn't care at that point that it's rude to shoot the messenger who brings bad news. He shot him anyway.

* * *

Another chapter complete. Send reviews and comment.

Next on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 4: Shinji Goes to School

How will our beloved pilot of Unit-01 deal with the insanity of people his own age? Will Shinobu be able to keep him in line? And what happens when he runs into Tsuruko again at the Hinata Apartments? Find out next time!


	4. Shinji Goes to School

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the works/characters used in this fic. They're all owned by their respective companies.

Author's Notes:

1- First off, thanks for the new reviews, everyone! Glad to see everyone likes my favorite hobby: Gendo-bashing hehehe

2- Rose1948: In answer to your review...yes, Gendo had to have his entire 'package' replaced. Personally I think its a fitting punishment, how about you?

3-Rei starts a bigger role in the story from now on. Also, in this story Rei is not an angel/human hybrid. She's just an emotionally stunted girl that has been manipulated by Gendo.

Now then, on with the story! Let's go, everyone!!

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**A Moon's Shadow**

**Chapter 4: Shinji Goes to School**

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!!"

"I said Shinji's gonna be staying with me, Ritsuko. Don't worry I won't be making any passes at him."

"OF COURSE NOT! HAVE YOU NO SHAME!"

_'How in the nine levels of Hell did I get myself into this mess?'_

Watching Misato and Ritsuko argue over the phone on the subject of the former's decency normally would have been highly amusing to Shinji...except for the fact that he had just been told by Misato that she would be taking him in as her ward. Not surprisingly, Shinji wasn't the only perturbed by this turn of events, as Shinobu had gone red in the face again at the thought of her new friend living with such a beautiful woman.

_'Ohhh if Shinji lives with her, I may never have a chance with him...wait a minute, why am I thinking like that, we're just friends! Aren't we?'_

Slamming the receiver down, Misato sighed in frustration as she turned around and smiled at Shinji, "Well Shinji, looks like your my new roommate."

Staring at her indifferently, Shinji could only ask, "Why are you taking me in again?"

"You're telling me you would have rather stayed in the city sewers like your dad wanted?"

Shinji just said, "Well it would've given me reason enough to walk into his hospital room and redecorate the walls with whatever's in that thick skull of his."

Shivering in fright at the grin on her new ward's face, she replied, "That look on your face is scary Shinji. Don't do that anymore okay?"

"Why? Afraid I'll do to you what I did to him? Don't worry, Misato. I don't harm anyone unless they've wronged me or my friends first."

Nodding to him, the purple-haired major ushered the two children into her car and sped off, ignoring the screams of her passengers as she broke every traffic law in the history of the world trying to get Shinobu home.

**(Hinata Apartments)  
**"Listen guys, I say we file a police report or something. We have to find Shinobu," Naru screamed, trying to make sure everybody knew her opinion. The rest of the building's inhabitants could only shake their heads as the brunette kept on ranting. All of sudden...SCREECHHHHHHHH

"That sounded like a car...let's go see," Haruka said, getting up as the rest followed her outside to greet their new visitor.

"Ara ara, look everyone. Shinobu's back," exclaimed Mutsumi Otohime, the apartment's resident watermelon girl.

Shocked, everyone rushed to the front of the building as Shinobu strolled up at a leisurely pace, Shinji to her left and Misato right behind them. Upon seeing Shinji, Naru and Motoko entered their well known attack-first-ask-questions-later mode.

"You vile male, what have you done to Shinobu! Rock Splitting Sword!"

"Filthy pervert, you'll wish you'd never been born when I'm through with you! Naru Punch!"

Their trademark attacks rushing towards Shinji's face, Shinobu could only watch horrified as her friend pushed her behind him and unsheathed his sword, its ivory white blade gleaming in the light as he held the flat side of the blade in front him. As the attacks struck, Shinji smirked and thrust forward, yelling...

"Inversion Impulse!"

Naru Narusegawa and Motoko Aoyama found themselves tossed into the air as the force from their own attacks was used against them. Turned head over heels in midair, the two young women were flung to the other side of the apartment building as the others watched open-mouthed.

They never thought that one person could handle both of the girls at once. One-on-one it may have been possible...but both at the same time?

A loud SPLASH told them that the two had taken an unforseen dip in the hot springs. Before anyone could say anything else, Shinji whipped around and brought his sword in front of his face.

CLANG! "Oh hell..."

"Long time no see, Shinji." Tsuruko Aoyama had entered the fray. Leaping backwards, she lowered herself into a stance as Shinji did the same.

"Damn it Tsuruko-sensei, are you ever gonna get tired of ambushing me?"

"Hehe, not a chance in hell little boy." The Hinata girls could only stand stock-still as they watched the conversation. This rail-thin boy was the Shinji Ikari that Tsuruko had told them about back in the shelter?

"Consider yourself duly warned. You just earned yourself an old-fashioned ass whooping sensei."

His ultimatum sent, Shinji lunged forth as he hacked at the older woman. Parrying his blow, Tsuruko twisted around and attempted to sweep his feet from underneath him. Expecting that, Shinji leaped over her leg and spun himself in midair, bringing his sword up and jabbing it towards her shoulder as he landed. Tsuruko moved to the side as the blade sailed harmlessly past and immediately sent a Rock Splitting Sword wave at him.

Shinji rolled away from the wave of ki, positioned himself on one knee and tried an uppercut, aiming specifically for his old teacher's sword. Caught off guard, Tsuruko was lifted off the ground as her hold on the blade stayed firm. Lifting his leg up, Shinji kicked off Tsuruko's stomach and launched himself further into the air as he brought the Tsukikage up.

The elder Aoyama was unable to catch her breath in time to stop her descent, resulting in her falling unceremoniously on her rear. Shinji grinned and started pumping energy into his sword through the Atlamillia. The Tsukikage began glowing an unearthly shade of white as more and more energy pulsed through it.

_'Time to show Tsuruko-sensei that you don't mess with somebody who's ancestor was at one point a lycanthrope.'_

Swinging the sword in what the Hinata residents and Misato thought was a strange pattern, Shinji brought his most valued possession to bear as he put all his momentum into a suicide dive at Tsuruko, whose eyes widened at the sight of her former student lunging at her from the sky. Pulling her sword into a defensive stance, she stood still as a board and waited for Shinji's assault. At that moment, Naru and Motoko came from behind the apartments to see Shinji and Tsuruko's swords clash as the young boy let out an ear-splitting roar.

"Moonflower Locus!"

Shinji puncuated his attack by driving the tip of his sword into the flat side of Tsuruko's katana, piercing it like scissors through paper. Her blade shattered by her old pupil's strength, Tsuruko was helpless as Shinji touched ground only to thrust his knee straight into the woman's lower jaw, before spinning in the air and slamming his heel into the side of her head.

Poor Tsuruko Aoyama. Her decision to test her old student plainly backfired as she was once again lifted off the ground and sent flying over the heads of the Hinata residents as she landed in a pile of bushes.

Slack-jawed at the immense power Shinji just displayed, the others couldn't form a single word. This boy couldn't be human! Not only did he send Naru and Motoko flying over the apartments, but he made good on his promise to give Tsuruko an 'old fashioned ass whooping.' The younger Aoyama was one thing, but her older sister was damn near impossible to beat in a sword match. Regaining her voice, Shinobu choked out,

"Shinji! That was amazing! Where did you learn that?"

Turning around, he gazed at the young Maehara girl and saw her eyes widen as she looked at him. Shinji cocked his eyebrow and smiled at the young girl.

"Shinobu, I've been training for years in the arts of the sword. It was something my cousin felt was necessary, especially considering all the wild beasts that roamed around near our village."

Shinobu instantly blinked her eyes, thinking she was imagining things.

_'I must be more tired than I believed. I almost thought Shinji's eyes were yellow for a moment.'_

Shinji turned himself again to the other residents of the Hinata apartments, all of whom were staring at him like some sort of monster. Finally, Keitaro took a step forward and asked the younger man, "Who are you?"

"The name's Shinji Ikari. Sorry if you guys were worried about Shinobu but I ran into her as she tried to reach a shelter. Unfortunately, the shelter slammed the doors shut a minute later so I took her with me to NERV headquarters so that she would be safe. I just arrived here in Tokyo-3 and didn't know where else to take her."

Keitaro nodded, willing to forget everything the boy just showed them simply because he had protected one of the apartment manager's most cherished friends without even knowing her in the slightest.

"Thanks Shinji. I don't know what I would've done if anything happened to Shinobu. You're new here right? When are you starting school?" Misato decided to add her comment here in saying, "He starts Monday of next week. I just need to finalize all the paperwork at the school."

"In that case," Keitaro said, "you can walk there with Shinobu and Kaolla and they can show you around." The reactions caused by the man's statement were diverse and, frankly, expected...

"Keitaro, are you nuts!" "You'd let the girls walk to school alone with that male!" Three guesses to which two people said that, and the first two don't count...

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"O-o-okay. That's alright with me."

"Yay! A new playmate!"

"Uhhhh..."

Hearing a moan, everyone looked to the bushes as Tsuruko finally managed to drag herself from the foliage. Her breathing ragged from the beatdown she received, the swordswoman looked up at Shinji and laughed.

"Have to hand it to you, Shinji. You've certainly improved."

With that, one of the greatest swordwomen of the God's Cry school of swordsmanship passed out on the grass from exhaustion.

**(Misato's Apartment)**

"What the hell!? Don't you ever clean in here? And is there anything in this fridge that isn't beer or instant food?"

_'Damn and I thought Artie was a slob. This woman lives in a fucking dump!'_

Minutes after arriving in the Kasturagi apartment, Shinji was now officially ready to go live in the sewers like Gendo wanted. It would probably be cleaner down there anyway...

Shinji resolved right then and there to clean this barn the first moment he got. That thought in mind, he walked up to the bathroom door, stripped off his sweat covered clothes, and opened it. Looking down, he was a bit surprised to find a penguin staring right back at him.

_'I've seen weirder.'_ Getting an evil idea, he called out to his roommate, "Hey Misato, how do you feel about roast penguin for dinner."

The bird gave an indignant wark as Misato screamed and barrelled into the bathroom, tackling Shinji to the floor with no knowledge of his lack of dress. Either that or she didn't give a damn. Grunting as the older woman berated him for even thinking of cooking her pet, he simply stared up at her and put a finger to her lip.

"Misato, as flattered as I am, I thought you told Doc Akagi that you wouldn't make any passes at me."

"What do you mean? I'm not...OH CRAP!" Yes, folks. Misato finally had the sense to notice that Shinji was wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Sporting a blush that would put Shinobu to shame, the beautiful woman jetted off of Shinji and made a mad dash for her room, slamming the door as hard as possible.

"Well that was fun."

**(Monday morning: Hinata Apartments)**  
Shinji walked to the front door of the Hinata Apartments, gently knocking three times as he waited for his companions to answer. He was glad that the apartments were just a couple blocks from his and Misato's apartment complex. He was pleasantly surprised to see Shinobu open the door wearing her school uniform with the dark-skinned Kaolla at her side.

His eyebrows rose however as a turtle flew from behind the two girls and perched itself on top of Shinji's head. Shaking his head to remove the shelled animal, Shinji smiled at the girls and said, "Shall we go then, my fair maidens?"

Giggling at the way Shinji addressed them, Kaolla jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. The younger Ikari was glad for all the balance training he had undergone at that point. Otherwise, the fall would have been painful.

"Yay Shinji's here. Let's go to school!"

Kaolla led the way as Shinji and Shinobu trailed behind talking about what they had done all of last week. Shinji told Shinobu all about Misato's slobbish behavior, PenPen, and the torture he went through to clean the whole apartment. He added, "If I ever have to do that again, I swear I'll lose my mind! That woman makes a pig's lifestyle look like luxury."

In turn, the blue-haired girl talked of how the other residents tried to grill her for info on the young pilot and what she thought about him. Blushing once more, she turned away from Shinji as she remembered the interregation Kitsune had subjected her to after she found out Shinji was one of the pilots.

The fox-eyed woman was the only person that Shinobu had told about what she thought were her budding feelings for the boy. Suddenly remembering the conversations he had with his mother in Unit-01 during his sych tests, Shinji turned the girl's face back towards his as he spoke up, a faint red tint gracing his cheeks.

"Hey Shinobu, would you like to maybe hang out with me this week?"

"Y-y-you mean like a d-date?"

"Kinda. But only as friends okay? I think we should get to know each other before we get into any kind of relationship."

Shinobu saw the logic in that and nodded, her face brightening at the thought of spending more time alone with the enigmatic Ikari, "I understand. I feel the same way. Okay then, let's go out and have fun sometime."

At that point, they had arrived at the school and were walking to the main office. There Shinji picked up his printouts and class assignment. He was happy to learn that he was in the same class as Shinobu. The two waved goodbye to Kaolla as the foreigner wandered off to her own class.

Shinobu led Shinji to the class and smiled when he opened the door for her. As soon as they walked in, a girl in the front walked over and introduced herself as Hikari Horaki, the class representative. Soon after, the teacher walked in and brought Shinji up to the front of the classroom to introduce himself.

"Alright everyone, I'm Shinji Ikari and I just transferred in from America where I was living with a cousin. My hobbies include kendo, calligraphy, playing the cello, cooking, and reading mystery novels. Try not to deliberately get on my bad side and we'll get along fine." That said, he was told to choose a seat and found one right next to his blue-haired friend. Shinji then got his first taste of the lesson plan for Class 2-A: Second Impact.

He lasted ten minutes before falling asleep.

Close to the end of class, he heard a faint ping that signified a message on his laptop. He looked up and stared blankly at the screen.

'Are you the pilot? Y or N?' Shinji looked around to see a group of girls staring at him and giggling. He frowned, but decided to let it out anyway. He seriously doubted that it would stay a secret for long anyway.

'Y'

Pandamonium insued as Shinji was immediately swamped by the entire class, asking him all sorts of questions about the Eva. Hikari tried to restore order, but it was helpless, even with Shinobu's help. The bell chose that time to ring, signalling the start of the lunch period. Shinobu pulled the overwhelmed boy out to the grounds, neither of them noticing a boy wearing a track suit glaring at their backs as they left.

**(Schoolyard)  
**"Well well well. What do we have here? The little mouse thinks she has a friend."

Shinobu blushed and squeaked, hiding behind Shinji as a black-haired girl wearing pigtails and wearing an air of superiority about her. Shinji could tell right away that this girl was talking about Shinobu, and promptly glared at the newcomer. She continued towards the pair, either not seeing or not caring about the icy look the boy was giving her. Pointing at Shinobu, the girl said, "I thought I told you that you would never have any friends, Maehara. You're too weak and pathetic for anybody to like you." The girl then turned to Shinji, a large smile on her face.

"You must be the pilot boy. Ikari right? I'm Tomoe Fumiko. Wanna be my boyfriend?" Shinji snorted.

"If you think that I would date someone like you after you waltz over here and insult my best friend, then you're a lot stupider than I thought. Forget it."

Tomoe blanched. She had been shot down? And for Shinobu Maehara of all people? That thought didn't compute in her mind. She was Tomoe Fumiko! Boys were supposed to throw themselves at her feet and beg for her attention. She had thought that if she could get the new guy to be her boyfriend, then her popularity would skyrocket. This wasn't supposed to happen!

"But..."

"Get away from me before I really get teed off, girl. You may look like an angel on the outside, but inside you have the heart of a devil..." Having said his piece, Shinji grabbed Shinobu's hand and pulled the blushing girl to a large cherry blossom tree on the other end of the grounds. There they sat down and ate their lunches in silence, every once in a while looking into each other's eyes with a blush. Soon, they were approached by none other than Rei Ayanami.

"Greetings Pilot Ikari, Miss Maehara."

"Hey Ayanami. Are you feeling better?"

"I am doing well. May I join you?"

"Sure."

Rei plopped herself next to Shinobu and immediately the two friends began trying to goad the usually silent girl into conversation. It didn't take long for the two girls to start talking about girl stuff. After Shinji's attack on the Commander, he had been unable to administer the pills that kept her personality stunted, mainly because Ritsuko refused to give her the pills. The woman felt it was appropriate justice after he had told her in no uncertain terms that he cared more about keeping Rei under his control than he did about her. Let's see how he likes having a rebellious Rei Ayanami.

After school, the three met up with Kaolla and began walking to the front gates when Shinji suddenly stopped. Looking back at him, the girls were shocked to see the boy tilt his head to the side as a fist flew through the exact spot his head had been in a second ago. Gripping the offending limb by the wrist, Shinji twisted his waist and pulled as hard as could, using his attacker's momentum against him as the girls saw the boy in the track suit from class fly from behind their friend and land hard back first on the concrete. Looking down at the new addition, Shinji picked him up by the collar of his shirt and brought him up to his face.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because of you running around in that robot, my little sister got hurt! She's been in the hospital and the doctor's think she'll never regain the use of her legs."

Shinji shook his head and said, "Why wasn't she in a shelter?" The other boy replied, "She wandered off..."

"Listen. I have a friend that I think can heal your sister. But promise me that you'll look after her better. Got that?"

"Wait, you know someone that can fix my sister?! Alright I promise! I'll look out for her better, just help her please." Shinji nodded and put the taller boy down again.

"What's your name, man?"

"Toji Suzuhara."

"Shinji Ikari. These three are Shinobu Maehara, Kaolla Su, and Rei Ayanami," the pilot said, pointing to each girl as he said their names. A bespectacled boy carrying a camcorder came running up to Toji, Hikari right on his heels.

"Toji, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry Kensuke. I needed to talk with Shinji here."

"Talk...right." Toji glared at Shinji has he grinned. Soon enough, everyone in the group was talking to each other as if they had been friends for years. All of a sudden, an alarm blared, causing Shinji and Rei to snap their heads up.

"An Angel..." Looking to their new friends, the two pilots told them to get to a shelter and stay there.

They had an Angel to kill.

* * *

Well, another chapter done! I think I'm getting better at writing now that I've had some practice. Hope you like how everything's turning out. For those of you who wanna see more Gendo-bashing, I'll make up for the lack of it in this chapter in Chapter 5. Trust me, I'm in a Gendo-bashing mood now. Keep sending reviews and send me any ideas for funny scenes that you may have. Also, expect to see Asuka show up in Chapter 7. She's gonna become a major player in the story later on. How so? Just keep reading and find out!

Next time on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 5: Shamshel's Arrival, Shinji's Date

The Fourth Angel has arrived! Can Shinji defeat it alone? Or will the Atlamillia save the day again? Also, Shinji and Shinobu have their date! Will things go as planned? On a cold day in Hell!! See you next time!


	5. Shamshel's Arrival, Shinji's Date

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. End of story.

Author's Notes

1) Sorry about the long wait, everyone! I've been suffering from a severe case of writer's block with this story. But never fear, as I have been blessed with inspiration!

2) I hope to see more reviews for this story, folks. I really like it and I know that all you Gendo-haters out there are gonna love this chapter!

Anyway…on with the story!

* * *

**A Moon's Shadow**

_By Ama no Murakumo_

**Chapter 5: Shamshel's Arrival, Shinji's Date**

"Be careful Shinji," Shinobu said, wrapping her arms around her friend. She remembered what had happened the last time one of those monsters had shown up…

Shinji smirked and patted the girl's head. "Don't worry about me, Shinobu. I'll make sure to send that freak back where it came from…wherever the hell that is," he replied.

Nodding, Shinobu and the others took off with the rest of their schoolmates for the nearest shelter. After they left, a black car pulled up next to Shinji and Rei and a Section-2 agent came out, telling the kids to get in. Hustling the two Children into the vehicle, they sped off and managed to reach NERV within 7 minutes.

Misato ran up and yelled to the Third Child, "Shinji Ikari, get your ass in Unit-01! We got an Angel to beat!"

"Got it, Misato! I'll be ready in two minutes. Three tops."

The captain nodded and returned to the bridge as Shinji donned his plugsuit in the lockers and made haste to the Eva cages. While on his way, the boy saw the one person who could make his day go down the tubes: Gendo Ikari. He smirked as he realized the older man was being wheeled around on a stretcher.

Gendo's eyes burned with anger when he saw his son. Having the male nurse he was with push him to the child in question the elder Ikari growled, "Don't get too comfortable Third Child. I _will_ make you pay for what you did to me last time. And I'll make sure that little whore you brought with you gets her just desserts as well."

Now Shinji was pissed. He hadn't known the girl very long, but he felt as if he had known Shinobu his entire life. And this bastard had the gall to not only insult her, but threaten her! Now it was personal…

The fuming pilot didn't say anything as he grabbed the nurse and shoved him into a closet before returning to his father. The man started sweating as Shinji set his foot on top of the stretcher, a vicious grin plastered on his face. Holding up three fingers, Shinji spoke up.

"First of all, you dick, never insult a woman like that in my presence. Especially Shinobu. They are not objects to be used for breeding and sex and _anything_ you say to insinuate as such will be dealt with…appropriately." He ticked off one finger.

"Second of all, you never…_ever_…threaten any of my friends. I can easily kill you before you have a chance to blink, much less bark out an order." Another finger went down.

"Finally, if you so much as even think of touching Shinobu Maehara with the intent to bring her harm… I promise that I will make Satan look like a saint in comparison to what I have planned for you," he snarled. With that, Shinji reeled back his leg and shoved the gurney has hard as he could. Gendo screamed as his 'bed' made its way down the hallway…and right towards a stairway. And they were on the fifteenth floor.

'_GODDAMN YOU, THIRD CHILD!' _Gendo yelled in his mind as he was launched from the stretcher and began his descent to the bottom of the facility. Shinji on the other hand was laughing his ass off as he watched his father smash his head on the stair corners every other tumble. His mission done, Shinji ran to the Eva cages to begin the operation against the Fourth Angel.

Once inside the entry plug, the boy reached out to his mother with his mind.

'_Hey mom, are you there?'_

'_Of course, son. Are you ready,' _Yui asked her son as they began their ascent to the surface.

After feeling the locks on Unit-01 released, Shinji turned around the building and stopped. He stared at the Angel.

'_It looks like a mad scientist tried combining a squid and a dildo…'_

'_Interesting thought, Shinji. I have to admit though that you are correct in describing its appearance. Let's get started…'_

Shinji grabbed a pallet rifle he trained with from its resting place and expanded his AT Field like his mother and Ritsuko taught him. Taking aim, he fired a quick burst at the monster and ducked behind a building. The smoke cleared to reveal the Angel hadn't even been fazed.

Glaring into the video feed at Ritsuko, Shinji snapped, "Hey doc, I did the gun thing and that fucking purple people eater is still standing. What's your next brilliant move?"

Misato tried hard not to laugh as her old friend's face turned a nice shade of cinnabar. Before anything else could be said, the Angel lashed out with a pair of energy whips. The Eva was tossed on its head as Shinji wondered just who he had pissed off to deserve this.

'_This sucks…'_

**(Shelter E-7, near Tokyo-3 Municipal Middle School)**

Shinobu looked around the shelter, wondering where her other friends were. Quickly spotting Kaolla, the azure-haired girl ran up to her and asked why she looked as though she was in deep thought.

The dark skinned foreigner glanced up at her roommate and replied, "It's Toji and Kensuke. They don't seem to be around and I know they came in here with us."

"Shouldn't we let Hikari know then? She may know where they are," Shinobu offered. The two nodded silently and made their way over to the Class Rep and asked if she had seen the boys in question.

"Not since they told me they that they had to go to the bathroom…" The three girls suddenly felt a pang of fear.

"They didn't…" they all said in unison. The girls ran to the shelter entrance, gasping when they saw that it was wide open. Running outside, they immediately spotted the two friends, who were busy at the time watching Unit-01 getting tossed around the city by a giant squid-like creature.

Hikari charged the pair, bellowing, "Just what do you two think you're doing!"

The boys freaked, turning around and stumbling as they realized they had been busted. Toji pointed at his best friend. "It was his idea!"

Kensuke turned paler than a sheet. "You traitor," he exclaimed. Shinobu let out a terrified squeak.

"Guys…"

The group looked up, only to see an airborne Evangelion heading right for them. They all screamed in terror, the boys taking off for the shelter door without caring that they had knocked Shinobu over in the process. Scared out of her wits, Hikari grabbed Kaolla's hand and dragged her back as well, leaving a frightened Shinobu on the ground as Unit-01 hit ground right next to her.

**(NERV HQ-Terminal Dogma)**

"It's Shinobu!" Misato shrieked, instantly recognizing the girl on the screen. Ritsuko wasn't happy at all with this.

"What's that little bitch doing out of the shelter?"

Shinji heard all this and growled. He would have to teach the bottle blonde a lesson when he got back…

'_Shinji open the entry plug, quick! We have to get her to safety,'_ Yui cried.

The boy swiftly grabbed the lever to release the entry plug and opened the hatch as it ejected. Turning on the external speakers, Shinji called out to the girl, "Shinobu! Get in, now!"

She nodded and jumped in, knowing that she would rather take her chances in the cockpit with Shinji than outside with that beast.

"Pilot Ikari you don't have authority to do that!" Ritsuko screamed. "You're sync ratio is being thrown off by that girl's thought noise!"

"Rits is right Shinji! Retreat for now and we'll come up with a better plan," Misato exclaimed, hoping against all hope that the boy would listen to reason for once.

Shinji felt Shinobu's hands wrap tightly around his waist as he turned on the two older women.

"You stay out of this! Dr. Akagi, I'm gonna have a talk with you later about how you talk about my friends…" Hearing that, the good doctor flinched. That was a meeting she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"And shut up, Misato," he continued. "I never start a fight I have no intention of finishing. That _freak_ dies here and now!"

Engaging his prog knife Shinji put all of his focus into the Atlamillia, feeling the surge of energy the stone gave him as Unit-01 stood and got into a battle stance. His umbilical cable had been sliced apart earlier and he had a full minute left before shutdown.

"Looks like I better finish this quick. Hang on Shin-chan," the young pilot said, willing the biomechanical behemoth towards the Angel as it slammed its tentacles straight threw the Eva's torso. Grunting in pain, Shinji pushed on and shoulder charged the monster before jamming his knife right up into the core.

Trying to ignore the pain going through his gut, Shinji pushed the weapon in further, slowly working it deeper as Shinobu started gently pushing on his abs. She had figured out that Shinji felt what the Eva felt and was hoping to relieve some of his pain to help him. After all, having two white-hot whips thrust into your stomach had to hurt quite a bit...

Shamshel was enraged. Her attacks weren't holding off this monstrosity! By now, the Angel had realized that it couldn't complete its mission and simply tried harder to take down the thing that had beaten it. Shamshel's whips shut down as her world slowly went black, the mission failed.

Unit-01 was still standing there with the knife punctured through the now-black core, its enemy dead. Shinji sighed in relief, leaning back as Shinobu curled up next to him. Gently running his hands through her hair, the Third Child smiled at her.

"Thanks for the impromptu massage Shin-chan. That really helped a lot. I may be tough, but even _I_ was about to go crazy with all that pain…"

The girl smiled, happy that she could help him, even if it was something small. She was also blushing heavily from his continued use of the –chan, though she secretly thought that it sounded nice coming from him. "It was no problem, Shinji. I hope I'm not in too much trouble. Hikari, Kaolla, and I were out there to get Toji and Kensuke back in the shelter. But I got knocked over and couldn't make it in time."

Shinji shook his head. "Don't worry. If those fools give you a hard time, then they better be ready to answer to me," he countered. Shinobu's blush intensified. She felt like a princess in a fairy tale, with Shinji as her knight in shining armor. His protectiveness of her was really cute, now that she thought about it…

Swallowing her courage, at least what little courage she had, Shinobu asked, "Hey Shinji…remember that date you offered me today? Would you like to go on Thursday? There's a traditional festival going on in the park and I really wanna go."

Now it was Shinji's turn to blush. "Sure, Shin-chan. I've never been to a traditional Japanese festival since I was stuck in America for the past ten years," he said.

'_Ohhh you two look so _cute_ together…'_ Yui squealed, causing Shinobu to look around the plug wildly.

"I thought I heard somebody!" she exclaimed. Shinji was shocked. His mother could talk to anybody in the entry plug? He never thought about that…

"Shin-chan," he began, making the girl look up at him, "this may sound crazy but…" the boy then launched into the story of how his mother was trapped in the core of Unit-01. He even told her about all the things his mom had explained concerning the council of SEELE and their plans for Instrumentality.

By the time Shinji was finished, the recovery crews had arrived and Shinobu had swore in her mind to try and become stronger. She wanted to help her friend stop his father's plans, no matter how much pain it put her through.

'_Especially if I want to have a chance with Shinji…' _she thought, hearing a soft chuckle in the back of her head.

'_Believe me, young Shinobu, when I say that you have the greatest chance of anybody to be with my son. He truly cares about you, and I know that he wants to keep you safe and happy.'_ Hearing the voice of Yui Ikari made the young girl's mind feel a little less troubled as she was pulled from the plug along with the Eva pilot.

'_Thank you, Mrs. Ikari,'_ she thought, _'I hope that I can meet you someday…'_

**(Thursday: Hinata Apartments)**

Shinji felt nervous for the first time in a long while. Tonight was his date with Shinobu and he had been praying to any deity he could think of to help him not make a complete ass of himself in front of her. Right now, he was standing in front of the entrance to the Hinata Apartments, waiting for said girl, wearing a formal forest-green kimono he had gone out to buy the day before. Thinking of Shinobu caused him to remember what happened after the fight against the Fourth…

_(Flashback)_

"_These are orders from Commander Ikari himself, pilot. You and the girl are to be placed under arrest and held in a detainment cell until further notice," the Section-2 agent said. Ritsuko grinned as she heard this. It looked like the Third Child was about to learn his place…_

_Until she saw his body glow red before he lunged his arm at an agent reaching for Shinobu's neck and backhanded the poor guy into a wall. The others reached for their pistols, only for their wrists to be slit open as the Tsukikage materialized in Shinji's hand and the boy swung the blade in a wide arc. Their guns removed by his ki attack, Shinji ran circles around the agents, hacking and slashing at their tendons with precision accuracy. It was less than fifteen seconds before the Third Child had severely crippled more than forty Section-2 goons that had been sent by Gendo to subdue him._

_Shinobu stood stock still, amazed that Shinji had been able to beat that many armed men with only his sword. And he had attacked because they were about to hurt her!_

_Turning to Ritsuko, Shinji's lips curled into a malicious snarl. "Dr. Akagi, you have 2 minutes to take me to my father before I play doctor with you…the hard way."_

_It didn't take Ritsuko's medical degree to know that Shinji fully intended to carry out that threat if she didn't comply. Swallowing a scathing remark, she led the pair to Gendo's hospital room. His tumble down the stairs had badly shattered both of his legs, the left arm, and at least five ribs. The injured Commander glared at the boy, then at his lover._

"_Akagi, why aren't these two in the brig like I ordered? Are my agents so incompetent that I have to rape and kill that little bitch myself?" _

_This was definitely the wrong thing to say as Shinji shoved Ritsuko forcefully into the wall, rendering her unconscious, before lifting the Tsukikage and slicing Gendo's right leg off at the hip. Ignoring the man's screams, the younger Ikari pulled back his fist and hammered his father right in the nose, hearing a satisfying CRUNCH that signaled that he had broken it._

_Now even Shinobu was mad. Shinji's father had wanted her raped and killed?! No wonder her pseudo-boyfriend had no love for this man: He was a bloodthirsty psychopath! Walking next to Shinji, the girl grabbed a nearby bedpan and, swinging it back, brought the steel instrument right across the Commander's face with a loud BAM! The man went completely limp, knocked out cold by the blow. _

_Shinji stared at the girl. He liked where this was going! Shinobu was learning to stand up for herself…_

_Turning back to the prostate Gendo, Shinji said, "See what happens when you push me too far. And you'd better hope Shinobu's roommates never find out about your comments, or they'll form a line for your blood."_

_Taking the blue-haired beauty's hand in his, the couple walked out the door, chatting animatedly about their upcoming date._

_It was an hour before Ritsuko woke up and tried to revive the bearded asshole, who was now sporting a lovely stump in place of his leg. _

_The only reason he had survived that long was because Shinji's sword had been burning with so much ki that the wound had been instantly cauterized by the heat._

_(End Flashback)_

Shinji shook his head. _'Can't think about things like that now. This is Shinobu's night, and I swear I'll make sure she has a good time, even if it kills me!'_

Later that night, he'd probably regret those mental words.

He heard the door open and raised his head up, he gulped audibly. This was no mere girl in front of him: She had to be a goddess!

Shinobu Maehara was standing in front of her date, dressed in a silken baby blue kimono decorated with flowers. Her hair had been pulled back and trussed up into a mini-bun. A single cherry blossom bloom adorned her left ear. Smiling shyly at the boy, she was silently thanking Kitsune for helping her get ready for tonight. The older woman may act promiscuous at times, but she just did it to tease guys and really knew how to dress for an occasion. Her face touched up by a little blush and lipstick, the little female looked absolutely stunning overall.

Blinking several times, Shinji gathered his thoughts and smiled, holding out his arm. "Shall we?"

Shinobu giggled and took the offered limb. "Yes, I do believe we shall." Not saying anything, the two made their way slowly to Menchi Park, where the festival was being held.

Upon arriving, Shinji had told Shinobu that they could do anything she wanted. Smiling and giving the boy a chaste kiss on the cheek, she pulled him towards the game area. Walking up to a tent, Shinobu asked Shinji to try catching a fish. The Eva pilot looked at the net he had been given and knelt down...

Two minutes later, the pair was walking away from the tent, a large stuffed panda in the girl's arms. She never thought that Shinji would be able to catch ten fish that fast. It was incredible. All that training really did wonders for his hand-eye coordination.

Unfortunately, the pair wasn't alone…

"Ouch! Watch where you stick that sword Motoko," Naru hissed. The two volatile girls had drug the entire Hinata gang plus Misato and Rei to the park to spy on the couple. Sadly some of the group, mainly Keitaro, Rei, and Kitsune surprisingly, had been made to come under protest. Currently they were hiding in a group of bushes near the two, watching their movements.

"I do not believe we should be here. If Shinji were to discover us, I feel that he would be most…unpleasant," Rei explained. She knew that Shinji was a force to be feared if he were pressed the wrong way.

"I agree with Rei, guys. You guys didn't help Shinobu get ready for this, and let me tell you: She got downright scary when I offered to chaperone for her. If we get caught, and Shinji doesn't pound us, then _she will_!" Kitsune said. Naru glared at her oldest friend.

"Kitsune! I'm surprised at you! What if that guy tries something with her?" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down. While she figured Shinobu wouldn't do anything to them if they got caught, she was truthfully frightened of the young Ikari. The boy had beaten Tsuruko in less than three minutes…no easy feat. Add to that the fact that she and Motoko's attacks had absolutely no effect on him either. Going back to the two lovebirds…

"Shinji did you hear something?"

"I don't just hear something, I smell it as well. It looks like we've been followed…" The Third Child looked over to see that his date's face had grown hard instantly.

Rubbing her hand softly, he told her soothingly, "Don't worry about them, Shin-chan. I'll chew them out later for this. Let's just ignore them and enjoy ourselves."

Taking a deep breath, Shinobu nodded and the two continued on their way. Before long, Shinji had won at more than ten of the games and the young girl now had a sizable collection of stuffed animals to put in her room. Smiling at her beau, she grabbed his hand and led him to a close-by grove of trees that sheltered them from the view of the other festival goers. The Hinata group and their new additions tried to follow closely behind but quickly lost them among the darkness and tree trunks.

Looking at the small girl in front of him, Shinji wondered what they were doing here.

'_I have a feeling this is going to be interesting…'_

Turning around to face him, Shinobu dropped her prizes and gently pressed herself against Shinji, who had been backed into a tree. Blushing, he stared into her blue eyes, as if searching for an answer.

"Shinobu…" he started, only for her to stop him with a finger.

"Don't talk Shinji. Just listen. I really, _really_ like you. I want to pursue a relationship with you, but I know you want to take things slow. I just want you to know how I feel. Also…" Now it was Shinji's turn to stop her.

"Shinobu, I understand how you feel. I've been doing a little soul-searching the last couple of days, and I feel the same way you do." Shinobu's eyes widened. He felt the same?! Then maybe…

Shinobu dropped any and all inhibitions she had at that moment and threw herself into Shinji's arms, capturing his lips in her own in a deep kiss. Shinji was stunned to silence.

'_She's kissing me! Her lips are so soft…'_ he thought as he tightened his grip on the girl's waist. The two leaned against the tree, the kiss softening some as they kept their lips locked together. They were happy now and nothing could take that away from them.

Too bad the saying is true…all good things must come to an end.

Motoko peeked from around a nearby tree and found the couple fully enjoying each other's company. Her eyes hardened as she gripped her sword and charged, letting out a war cry.

"You vile beast! DIE!!" she screamed, unleashing a ki wave straight at the two. Shinji's eyes popped open as he twisted his body, shielding a shocked Shinobu as Motoko's wave blasted into his back. The mecha pilot's kimono was torn open as the ki torched his skin, leaving a large, slightly charred red spot. Shinji wheeled around and thrust out his hand, the Atlamillia blazing to life as he prepared to incinerate the young woman who had nearly killed Shinobu.

He never got that chance…

Shinobu glared at the kendo master in front of her and threw herself past Shinji, pulling back her fist before nailing an astounded Motoko right in the mouth. Shinji could only stare as the others came rushing in, everyone looking at the scene in front of them. Motoko was currently nursing a busted lip, Shinobu looked ready to kill somebody, and Shinji was gaping like a fish.

Kitsune had to physically restrain the blue-haired girl from throttling Motoko, though to be honest she was almost ready to do it for Shinobu. This was exactly why she resisted chasing after the two!

Shinji glared at most of the group and took Shinobu into his arms. The girl had finally calmed down somewhat and was now softly sobbing into his shoulder. She had seen the damage Motoko had caused and was crying how she had nearly gotten him killed.

"Shinobu it's okay, really. I've taken worse beatings than that so don't cry anymore, got that?" The girl nodded and wiped her eyes, doing her best to be strong for Shinji.

The boy instantly turned on everyone else. "This is inexcusable!" The group flinched. They had really done it now…

"If I hadn't reacted when I did, then Shinobu could have been seriously hurt or killed! If I ever see that sword-wielding lunatic come anywhere near us when we're together again, I'll blow her to pieces," he roared. He had already told Keitaro and the others who hadn't wanted to come that they weren't the ones in trouble. They had done gone and left.

Grabbing Shinobu's hand, Shinji led her back towards the apartments, only to see her shake her head.

"I don't wanna go back there. Not yet anyway. Can I stay with you tonight?" Shinji nodded. He knew Misato wouldn't refuse, especially if she wanted to keep in his good graces after the stunt they had pulled tonight.

And so, the pair walked back to Misato's apartment instead. Reaching the door, Shinobu squeezed Shinji's hand tightly and looked at him expectantly.

"So does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Shinji smiled and nodded, leaning down and planting a tender kiss on the girl's lips.

"Of course it does. And I swear to protect you with my life."

"Thank you, Shinji." The couple walked in and went straight to bed, simply holding each other while still dressed in their kimonos. Or half a kimono, in Shinji's case.

* * *

Well that does it for Chapter 5. Love it? Hate it? Send me comments guys! Also, for those of you who find Shinji to be a Gary Stu, he does have at least _two_ major flaws, one of which I'll address in the next chapter.

Next time on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 6: The Beast Within. The Fifth Angel comes and tries to BBQ Shinji. How can he beat it? And now that Shinji and Shinobu have admitted their feelings, how will their classmates react? Read and find out!

See you next time folks. Ama no Murakumo, signing off!


	6. The Beast Within

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. Gainax does, so leave me alone.

Author's Notes

1) Rose1948: Thanks for bringing up the fact about Gendo's leg. I went ahead and made the appropriate change to the last chapter. I had meant to explain how he survived but it completely flew over my mind until after I read your review.

2) Also, Shinji may be really damned strong, but he _isn't_ invincible. He does have some flaws that I had planned on exposing in this chapter and the next.

3) If anybody is wondering why the normally timid Shinobu is suddenly pulling a personality 180, let's just say that Shinji is a _bad_ influence…

4) Thanks for the reviews you guys have given so far. It's good to know that the story is still being read. Keep 'em coming!

Now that all that is out of the way…on with the story!

* * *

**A Moon's Shadow**

_By Ama no Murakumo_

**Chapter 6: The Beast Within**

"WHAT IS THIS!?" Misato screamed.

She had walked into Shinji's room to make sure he was up and ready to go to school. She was even hoping to have a chance to maybe tease him about what he and Shinobu had done last night before Motoko attacked them.

What she found was most certainly _not_ what she expected when she opened the door. As soon as the she could see inside, her long repressed maternal instincts had kicked in upon seeing her ward still in bed. And he wasn't alone…

Shinobu bolted and nearly flew out of the bed when she heard the screaming. Looking at the door, she instantly turned redder than a tomato on seeing her new boyfriend's guardian staring at the two.

"Umm…this isn't what it looks like, Miss Misato," she said softly. Misato shifted her glare from Shinobu to Shinji, who was finally rubbing his eyes open.

"Who's firing the cannons? It's barely 7:30," the exhausted boy said. The younger Aoyama's attack last night had damaged him a lot more than he cared to admit, and he really wanted to just sleep in today. Shinobu giggled when she heard Shinji's description of Misato's yelling.

Misato, however, wasn't finding anything funny…

"Just what in the HELL are you two doing in bed together!" she exclaimed, not caring that the couple was still dressed in their kimonos from last night. Shinji's had been nearly ripped in half and Shinobu's was slightly open just below her neckline, just enough to look suspicious.

The girl finally noticed this and squeaked, pushing the garment closed as she looked at the purple-haired captain, her blush deeper than ever. Shinji was content to just stare at the woman.

"Not that it's really any of your business, but we were sleeping. Is there something illegal about that?" he asked.

"NO! But how do I know that all you were doing was sleeping?!" the older woman growled. After a couple seconds, a mischievous grin settled on her face. Shinji was feeling hot under the collar once he saw it. He knew what that look meant…

"I'm not gonna be hearing the pitter-patter of little feet in nine months, am I Shinji?" Now both children were bright crimson. Shinji jumped out of bed to bodily remove the woman, only to collapse with a pained groan. His girlfriend gasped and ran to his side.

"Shinji are you alright?! What's wrong?" she asked, turning him on his stomach to check his back.

She and Misato both gasped. Looking at the Third Child's back made them wonder if Motoko had tried to cook him alive with that attack. Much of his skin was a deep red, with small blotches of black scattered about and enormous blisters all around the black areas.

Shinobu was crying at this point. Motoko could have killed him! In fact, it was a miracle he wasn't dead yet. Misato ran to the kitchen and started shoveling ice into several plastic bags before rushing back to her ward and gently pressing the packs against his back.

Shinji let out a yelp. He had been running on adrenaline alone since last night after hearing Motoko charging him. Shinobu softly kissed his cheek and cupped his face in her hands.

"Shinji what happened? I thought you said you were okay!" she cried, holding her boyfriend's head against her chest. The young pilot chuckled.

"Whenever I get attacked like that, my body has a tendency to overproduce adrenaline, which pretty much beats out the pain for several hours. Afterwards, though, it usually comes back and bites me and the ass…" This didn't calm the girl down at all.

"You can't go to school like this! You're in no condition to be going anywhere for that matter," she said, looking at Misato. The older woman nodded.

"Definitely. You, young man, are staying in bed for a while. If I didn't know better, I'd say that somebody tried to roast you." The two picked Shinji up and prepared to set him back in bed. They were shocked, though, when they saw a flash of light behind them and turned around to find two men.

The first was ancient. He looked like he would have been at home in a monastery or something, what with the yellow robe he was wearing. The other was much younger and looked American in appearance. He also looked like a well-toned bodybuilder for that matter. The younger walked over to the charbroiled boy and laughed.

"Shinji my boy, you obviously have the shittiest luck. Why in the world do you look like you just got out of a fight with a hungry dragon?" The boy in question looked up and glared at the newcomers.

"Shut up Artie. Turns out that Tsuruko-sensei has a younger sister and she has a…problem with men," Shinji explained. Both men cringed. Tsuruko Aoyama? If her sister was anything like her in terms of strength, then it was no wonder that Shinji looked like something one puts on a BBQ grill.

"Ouch kid. I feel for you. Anyway, we wanted to come and check up on you and see how you were doing." Misato had found her voice finally and stepped forward, drawing her gun.

"Just who the hell are you and how do you know Shinji?" The two men turned to her, Arthur smirking at the weapon being pointed at his face.

"Lady I have every right to be here, seeing as how Shinji here is my cousin and surrogate son. I did raise him for 10 years after all," Arthur said.

Shinobu looked at the man in admiration. This was Shinji's cousin Arthur? Now the girl knew why Shinji trained so much in America. This guy looked like the type to put an emphasis on work-outs.

"Excuse me," she began as the two turned to her, "but do either of you know how to dress wounds? Shinji's in a lot of pain."

Arthur grinned and clapped his adopted son on the shoulder; much to the young man's pained irritation. "Shinji you weasel! You never said anything about getting yourself a girlfriend! You really do take after me. Such a ladies man…" Shinji snorted.

"God forbid. Hey Simba…" The older man focused on the boy. "Think you can fix this? I now know how a turkey feels at Thanksgiving and personally, I don't like it."

The Fairy King chortled and raised his staff, pointing it at Shinji as a beam of light encircled him. The women gasped as they literally saw the boy's wounds close in. Before long, there was absolutely no trace of the burns. Afterwards, Simba knelt down and whispered in Shinji's ear.

'Not only did I just heal you, but I unleashed some more of your latent lycanthrope senses. Use them well." Shinji nodded in agreement.

Misato wheeled on the elder and shouted, "How did you do that?"

"My dear, all fairies have healing powers," he said. Shinobu's eyes bulged. Misato simply fainted, her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Fairies? They're real?" she asked. Simba nodded and pointed to the Atlamillia.

"Indeed they are, child. I also was the one who gave Shinji that stone, which has extrodinary magical powers." Shinji's face lit up as he thought of something.

"Simba. Just a shot in the dark, but do you think it's possible for the Atlamillia to hold and transfer a human soul?" The aged fairy looked thoughtful for a minute.

"I don't see why not. We would need a body to transfer the soul into, though. Why do you ask?" Shinobu realized what Shinji was planning and tackled him happily.

"Shinji! Are you thinking of using the stone to bring your mother back from the Evangelion?" Now the other two were confused.

"Evangelion?"

Shinji shook his head. "Long story guys, I'll tell you later. Shinobu and I need to get to school now."

Arthur smirked and ruffled Shinji's hair. "Then don't let us keep you. Just make sure to use protection with this little lady, got it?" Shinji charged.

"NOT YOU TOO, YOU ASSHOLE!!" Arthur got the beating of his life at that point. Though he had to admit, the bright red tint to his son's face was well worth the pounding he got…

**(2 weeks later: Tokyo-3 Municipal High School)**

Shinji and Shinobu were currently eating lunch under their favorite cherry blossom tree. They knew of the rumors going around school about them having a torrid love affair with each other or something like that, but they never cared. What others thought of their relationship didn't matter to them, so long as they were together.

Smiling at her boyfriend, Shinobu happily fed him a fish roll she had made while he was lying on his back. The two had decided to make lunch for each other after their date, which turned out to be a delicious arrangement, especially considering their extreme culinary talent.

Hearing footfalls, Shinji looked up and saw the form of Tomoe Fumiko standing over the two. He frowned. Ever since he had met the girl she had been trying everything she could to seduce him, not that it did her any good. He only had eyes for Shinobu, and no popularity-hungry harlot was going to change that.

The girl smirked. "Oh Shinji…I need some help with my homework. Would you mind helping me real quick?"

The pilot shook his head. "First off, if you need help, don't look for help from an average student like me. Second, I'm rather busy with my girlfriend at the moment, so just bug off."

Tomoe's eyes widened. He was dating Maehara! This was madness! She had heard the rumors but she never believed them until now. She glared nastily at Shinobu.

"You better enjoy him while you can mouse-girl, because I _will_ have him one day…" she growled, stomping away to let everyone else know about their relationship. Shinobu looked at Shinji.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" The boy shrugged.

"What's she gonna do? Glare me to death? Just ignore her, Shin-chan," he said, wrapping his arms around the girl and pulling her down on top of him. Blushing, Shinobu gave him a quick peck on the lips before standing back up. Helping Shinji to his feet, the pair made their way back to class.

**(Class 2-A)**

Once the two walked in the door, they were accosted by the entire class, sans Hikari, Rei, and several others.

"So it's true! You guys are together?"

"Oh man! That means Shinji-kun isn't available anymore…"

"Come on, Shinji! Of all the girls in the school, you had to pick Maehara. What's wrong with you?!" By now, Shinji had had enough.

"BACK OFF!!"

The students all jumped back as if the boy had spat fire at them. If looks could kill, then most of Class 2-A would have met an early end in a rather painful manner. Holding hands, the couple made their way back to their seats, where Rei was waiting for them.

"So the rumors I heard were true? You are a couple?" They nodded. Rei smiled slightly and turned back to staring out the window.

All of a sudden…the Angel alarms went off.

"Damn it! That's the second one in two weeks!" Shinji yelled. Jumping to his feet as the class hurried for the door.

Giving Shinobu a quick kiss goodbye and telling her to stay in the shelter no matter what, Shinji and Rei rushed outside, where a car was waiting to take them to NERV.

**(NERV HQ)**

"What's the status of the Angel?"

"Captain, it's right above us and seems to be drilling its way towards the Geofront!" Makoto yelled, turning to his superior officer. Misato grinned.

"Then we'll just stop it before the damn thing gets that far. You ready Shinji?"

"Ready and willing," he said.

"EVA LAUNCH!"

Unit-01 shot towards the surface, Shinji leaning back as he thought of how to approach this enemy.

'_Any ideas, mother?'_ he thought, hoping his mom had anything to give him a heads-up.

'_Unfortunately not, Shinji. We're heading up there blind I'm afraid…'_ she replied.

'_Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'_ The bridge was going ballistic.

"Captain! Massive energy readings inside the target!" Shigeru screamed. Misato blanched.

"Say what!?"

"They're off the scale! It's going to attack," Maya Ibuki exclaimed. Everyone turned to the video feed of the pilot.

"SHINJI LOOK OUT!"

"Wha-" was all the young man got out before Unit-01 hit ground level, only to feel the diamond-like Angel's particle cannon slam into his Eva's chest. The immense heat instantly boiled the LCL as Shinji turned into a human lobster.

"ARGHHHHHH" "Get him back here!"

The Eva was pulled back underground quickly, the Angel's beam vanishing once its opponent was gone. Running to the cages, Misato was worried beyond belief.

'_What was I thinking? I forced him up there without any information,'_ she berated herself in her mind. Immediately she remembered that somebody else would be worried about the boy as well…

'_Shit! Shinobu's gonna _kill_ me!'_

**(Shelter E-7)**

'_Shinji…stay safe please.'_

**(Three hours later: NERV Medical Ward)**

"Uhhh…what the hell hit me?" Shinji pulled himself out of the bed, looking around to see Rei Ayanami sitting next to him.

"Rei? What happened?" he asked. He noticed that the normally quiet girl looked anxious.

"Shinji…you took a direct hit from the Angel's particle cannon. If your Eva had been exposed any longer, than the core may have been destroyed. As it was, the LCL had boiled to the point where the medics had to literally cut your plugsuit away from your skin." Shinji realized he was buck naked after hearing that.

"Gah!" He swiftly covered himself, a blush covering his face.

"So what now?"

"Captain Katsuragi has formed a plan to defeat the Angel. You are to take the JSSDF's prototype positron rifle and use it to pierce the enemy from a nearby mountain while I provide defense with a shield fashioned from the space shuttle's heat shield," the girl replied. Hearing the word 'Angel' made Shinji see red.

That bastard had nearly fried him! That was twice in two weeks now that he'd been burned like that.

"Rei, make sure that if you're shield is ruined that you get the hell outta there. I couldn't forgive myself if you got hurt trying to protect me." The First Child shook her head in defiance.

"I cannot do that, Shinji. If anything were to happen to you, then Shinobu would more than likely hold me responsible. I'd prefer not to be put into the same condition as Miss Aoyama was after her attack on you during your date."

Shinji laughed. Yeah, Shinobu may just do something like that…

**(Mt. Fujiyama) **(A/N: I forgot the name of the actual mountain in the anime so bar with me here)

"Ready, Shinji?" The boy absentmindedly rubbing his stomach, reminding himself of what happened the last time he faced this thing.

"I guess so," he replied. Misato smiled in an attempt to assure him.

"Don't worry kiddo. You have all the electrical power in Japan at your fingertips. You can't lose!"

Shinji chuckled. "Let's find out, then."

Taking aim, the Third Child glanced at Unit-00 next to him. Rei was holding the shield in position in case the Angel attacked. Turning back Shinji prepared to fire, waiting only for Misato's order.

"You got two seconds left Shinji. Get ready!"

"Ma'am! Energy readings inside the Angel!" Makoto exclaimed.

"What, NO! FIRE!"

Shinji pulled the trigger, feeling the kick from the rifle as it blasted a beam of electricity towards the Angel. Ramiel responded with his own cannon, hoping to blow his opponent to oblivion. The two beams met over a flat clearing and twisted around each other before hammering the ground.

"Damn it! Get that rifle re-charged," Misato screamed. "Shinji, you' got fifteen seconds before you can fire again!"

Once the rifle began its recharge, Ramiel powered up and returned fire with a second, more powerful cannon blast. Rei leaped in front of Shinji, holding the shield steady as Shinji prepared to fire again. Yelling for Rei to hold on, Shinji took aim once more. He had five seconds left.

Glancing down at the ground, Shinji noticed something. Most ordinary people wouldn't be able to see something so small from the distance Shinji was at, but his eyesight was brilliant, even at night. His blood ran cold at realizing what slinked around the foot of Unit-01…

It was a garden snake.

"AHHH!! SNAKE!" Shinji screamed, Unit-01's massive form leaping into the air. The timer on the recharge hit 00:00 as Shinji's hand clenched, pushing down the trigger. The rifle went off with a loud BANG as the beam went straight at Ramiel. Before the Angel could redirect its blast, the rifle's shot punched right through its core. Ramiel's blast instantly vanished as it slowly crash landed into the lake.

Back in the bridge, Misato and everyone else looked at the spectacle with astonishment.

"What the fuck was that?"

Ritsuko was laughing her head off at seeing the normally unflappable Shinji scared out of his wits by a tiny snake. Even Rei found the scene amusing.

'_I never would have imagined. You can handle monsters, but not a harmless little snake,'_ Yui spoke to her son. Shinji was shaking in fear at the moment, and didn't find it funny.

'_Can it, mom. If you read my memories like you told me you did, then you'd know why I hate snakes,'_ Shinji tersely replied. He could hear his mother's laughing even in his mind.

"It's not _that_ funny…"

* * *

Well there's Chapter 6 people, and yes, Shinji is deathly afraid of snakes. I have that particular fear myself and figured I may as well do something constructive with it.

Next time on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 7: Enter Asuka. Misato takes Shinji, Shinobu, and another friend to pick up the Second Child and Unit-02. Who is the other friend and what will happen? Keep reading to find out!

Keep reading and reviewing people. I enjoy this story a lot and can't wait for the next chapter, cause then things really get rolling.

See ya next time! Ama no Murakumo, signing off!


	7. Enter Asuka

Disclaimer: I don't own shit. Really. Ask my wife if you don't believe me.

Author's Notes

1) Yes folks! It's finally here! Asuka will at last make her debut in the story. For those of you who have read my story _Till Death Does Us In_, then you'll probably be able to guess that I plan on picking on our favorite redhead a lot.

2) Attention Asuka Lovers: This fic may not be for you! Not to create suspense or anything, but Asuka is a huge part of this story but will be bashed, though what exactly that part is won't be revealed till later.

3) BushWhacker: First of all, nice name. Second, yes I know Asuka's mom is inside Unit-02. That may or may not be an important plot point at this time. I haven't decided.

Well now…at least that's all that out of the way. Now on with the story!

* * *

**A Moon's Shadow**

_By Ama no Murakumo_

**Chapter 7: Enter Asuka**

"You're picking up the Second Child tomorrow?"

Misato grinned. "You better believe it Shinji! I think you'll both get along great," she said. Inwardly though, she thought, '_Hopefully Asuka makes him fall head over heels for her. Shinobu's a nice girl and all, but I doubt she's the right one for Shinji._'

Shinji flipped through the file Misato had given him that held most of the Second Child's information. He didn't like what he was reading, especially concerning the psyche profile.

'_Hot-tempered, egotistical, and the social skills of a rabid wombat…I've got a baaaad feeling about this,_' he told himself. Chancing a glance at Misato, he noticed she was staring at him with that mischievous smile of hers.

'_I take that back. I've got a _real_ bad feeling about this…_'

"I'm assuming that you want me to help you go get her, right?" The purple haired woman nodded.

"You got it! And you can bring along any two friends that you want." Hearing this, Shinji was a little relieved.

'_Well at least I won't be alone in this. Let's see, Shinobu is obviously going. Now who else…?_'

**(The next day: On the helicopter)**

Shinobu looked over at Misato apprehensively. The older woman didn't seem all that pleased that the blue haired beauty was with them. And it seemed as if Toji's being there just made things worse, considering the boy wouldn't stop drooling over Misato.

When Shinji had told the group that he would be allowed to take Shinobu and one other friend with him to retrieve the pilot of Unit-02, they had played a heated battle of Jan-Ken-Pon to determine who got the last seat on the helicopter. Toji had beaten out everyone handily and was excited to get out of the city, even if only for a short while.

Turning her head, Shinobu smiled as she noticed her boyfriend sleeping in the seat next to her. Leaning on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and tried to forget everything else. She was just happy to be here with Shinji.

Misato wasn't just upset at having Shinobu there. She was downright pissed! First of all, she had been hoping that Shinji wouldn't take Shinobu, even though it was a long shot. Also, she and Ritsuko both agreed in private that Shinobu was _not_ Shinji's kind of girl. When Akagi suggested that Asuka might make a better choice, Misato jumped at the idea. Unfortunately, her so-called 'maternal instincts' that she'd been following had blinded her to seeing that her ward truly was happy with his current situation.

Besides, if she could read his mind, then she would have figured out that Shinji didn't like abrasive girls like the redheaded German.

Looking down, she relaxed upon seeing the Pacific Fleet that held the Second Child. Leaning forward, she nudged Shinji awake. The boy's eyes fluttered open as he stretched his body upwards and yawned, causing Shinobu to open her eyes as well.

The Third Child looked at his guardian. "What's up?"

"We are, at the moment. But jokes aside Shinji, we're about to land. There's our destination."

Toji whistled. "That's a lotta water." At that, Shinji went rigid as a board.

'_Water? Oh sweet, merciful God don't tell me…_' The young man glanced outside and, realizing where he was, started shivering in fright. Shinobu looked at him worriedly.

"Shinji? What's wrong?" Now the other two were looking at him in worry.

"Misato…you never told me we were heading out into the middle of the ocean. You said that we would retrieve the Second Child from her ship. I thought you meant at the docks!"

"What's the matter Shinji?"

"I don't do water. For one thing, I can't swim. For another, I get seasick easily. And that's just the beginning…" Shinobu wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and whispered soothing words in his ear to try and calm the boy down. Judging by the way he was shaking, she could tell that Shinji was terrified of being there.

'_I never should have agreed to this. I shoulda stayed in bed…_' he thought as the chopper made its descent.

Unknown to the group, they were being watched from the deck of the _Over the Rainbow_ by a lone figure, her dress billowing in the wind.

**(**_**Over the Rainbow**_**)**

The kids were currently following Misato, who was leading them on a wild goose chase all around the ship deck in search of their target. After a couple minutes, Shinobu decided to speak up.

"Ms. Misato…are you telling us that you don't know where this Asuka girl is?" Misato glared at the girl.

"Don't be ridiculous! Of course I know wh-oomph!" The woman had turned to face Shinobu as she told her off and thus didn't watch where she was going. So it came to no surprise that she ended up running right into somebody.

As the laws of irony dictate, it just so happened to be the very person they were looking for: a voluptuous, thin, redhead wearing a prideful smirk on her face.

"Hey! Watch where you're-oh, it's you, Misato!" the redhead exclaimed, flinging her arms around her former guardian.

"Hey Asuka, long time no see! You've certainly gotten bigger."

"Sure have! And my figure's filled out a lot too," she replied.

The pompous redhead smirked and struck a pose that would've been more appropriate on a runway model. Then again, the German _did_ think of herself as perfect in every way.

Turning her glance to the other three, she huffed and stuck her nose in the air. "So which of these _peons_ is the Third Child?" Misato grinned and pointed at Shinji, who looked rather nervous at being on a ship in the middle of the ocean.

"This is Shinji. He's a little seasick right now, so take it easy on him." Strutting over to the slightly shaking boy, she began circling him like a hawk. Shinobu was watching the redhead carefully, not sure what the other girl's plans were.

'_She better not make a move on Shinji. He's mine!' _she exclaimed in her head. As if reading her mind, Asuka leaned to the side and looked right at Shinobu. Smirking, the girl turned around haughtily.

"He's nothing special. Just a boring, scared little boy. And I'm guessing that the little mouse next to him is his girlfriend,' she said. After hearing Tomoe belittle Shinobu for so long, Shinji took special exception to hearing _anybody_ call his girlfriend a 'mouse.' Smashing his fear of water into the ground for the moment, Shinji stalked over to the redhead and stood nose-to-nose with her.

"Listen you Nazi bitch! You can insult me all you want, since I'm stuck dealing with you at NERV. But don't you ever, _EVER_ insult Shinobu like that again or I'll lay you out flat!" he shouted, astonishing everyone present. None, though, was more shocked than Asuka, who glared at the defiant boy before bringing up her hand to slap him.

Before she could, however, a powerful gust of wind blew across the deck of the ship and threw her sundress up, revealing her personal tastes in underwear to everyone. Shinji, who was standing right in Asuka's face, didn't see anything though. That didn't stop the German fireball from getting even angrier and striking the boy across the face. Turning to Toji and Shinobu, she stomped over and raised her hand again.

SMACK! Down goes Toji.

SMACK! Down goes Shinobu.

BAM! CRASH! Beware of flying Asukas people…

Misato could only stare in horror as she watched Asuka deck the Suzuhara boy before turning on Shinobu, only to have an enraged Shinji hammer his fist into the redhead's gut. The result: Asuka Langley Sohryu was sent flying through the air until punching through a shut door leading below deck.

'_Oh hell…this wasn't supposed to happen,_' Misato thought. Her eyes were transfixed on the empty doorway that Asuka went through before feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Gulping, she slowly turned around, coming face to face with a thoroughly pissed off Shinji Ikari. He was currently holding Shinobu in his arms, though the look on his face told her that he was anything but content.

"Misato Katsuragi, I suggest that you keep that asylum reject away from me and the others outside of NERV business. Otherwise, I may be forced to remove her head from her shoulders. _Permanently!_"

The older woman nodded before rushing downstairs to tend to Asuka. When she and the others got there, however, they found her being helped up by an unshaven man wearing a ponytail. Misato glared at the man.

"Kaji! What the hell are you doing here you lecher!" When he heard how his caretaker described the man, Shinji's guard instantly went up. He hated guys who thought they were God's gift to women, and this Kaji fellow seemed to fit the bill. Also, the look in his eyes suggested that he had a few secrets to hide. Suddenly, he remembered something Yui had said while telling him about his father's plans.

Shinji leaned over to Shinobu and whispered, "Hey Shin-chan. Mother told me that this guy's supposed to have the Adam embryo that my old man needs for Instrumentality." The blue haired girl gasped.

"But what can we do about it?"

"All I know is that the she said he was supposed to deliver it to Gendo. That must be why he's here." She nodded in understanding.

"Then we need to keep him from delivering it."

"Definitely."

Toji didn't hear any of this, as he was busy watching Kaji and Misato argue back and forth like an old married couple. Walking up to the pair, Shinji looked between them before reaching behind his back and, with a flick of his wrist, implanted the Tsukikage into the wall between them.

Needless to say, the arguing stopped. Everyone, Asuka included, stared at the stoic look on Shinji's face.

"Shouldn't we be reporting to the goat in charge of this bath toy instead of trying to out-insult each other?" Asuka glared and turned to Misato.

"Hey Misato, how come he has a sword? He could seriously hurt somebody with that thing!" As if to prove her point, she tried to grab the hilt to yank it out and keep it for herself.

Too bad she never knew about the security measures Shinji had on the sword. With a simple thought, the Atlamillia pulsed and as soon as the Second Child touched the hilt, she was blasted back by a surge of electricity. Her hair was sticking out at impossible angles, much to Toji's amusement. Even Kaji laughed at the redhead's expense.

"What the hell was that!" Smirking, Shinji stepped forward and yanked the blade out of the wall.

"If anybody other than me tries to so much as touch this thing, they're gonna get the shock of their life," he explained. Having said his piece, Shinji took Shinobu by the hand and led the group up to the helm where the Admiral was directing the pilot.

"Admiral, the group from NERV has arrived," one of the sailors announced. Growling, the Admiral of the Pacific Fleet turned and walked over to the six.

"So this is the band of fools that NERV sent? What a joke…"

Glowering at the older man, Shinji tapped the Tsukikage with his finger. "You wanna call us a joke one more time, ya old buzzard?" The implied threat didn't go unnoticed, but the Admiral took one look at the blade and decided that a retort wouldn't be in his best interests.

Shinobu stared at her boyfriend. '_Shinji's kind of snappy today. Being on this ship must be making him more nervous than I imagined,_' she thought.

Asuka glared at the boy (A/N: She seems to be doing that a lot doesn't she?) and spoke up. "Listen Third Child! You can't just go around threatening people who are better than you. So why don't you learn your place and take orders from your superiors. Like me, of course!"

Shinji stared at the girl like she had grown a second head. "You know what Asuka? My cousin always told me to try and see things from other peoples' point of view, but doing so with you is impossible…"

"And why is that?"

"Simple. I can't stick my head that far up my ass," he snapped. Toji and Shinobu both burst out in hysterics at the look on the girl's face. For once, Asuka was rendered speechless.

Being verbally bitch slapped can do that to you.

Her face turned bright crimson and she grabbed Shinji, dragging him towards the hangar. "You're coming with me Third Child. I'll show you just how inferior you really are."

**(Unit-02 Hangar)**

"Why am I here again? I could care less about this piece of junk," Shinji barked at Asuka.

"Junk!? Why you! Unit-02 is the first ever Eva built for actual combat. Your Test Type and the Prototype are the pieces of junk."

"Shut up, Hitlerette. If Unit-01 is junk, then explain how I managed to beat the first two Angels without any form of backup." Asuka couldn't think of a retort for that. Even she had to grudgingly admit that Shinji's piloting skills were good. Not as good as hers of course! But still decent…

Before they could argue anymore on the subject, the ship violently lurched as an explosion went off.

"What the…! Now what's going on!?" Shinji yelled as he and Asuka ran outside, only to be met by Shinobu and Toji.

"What was that sound, Shinji! Are we under attack?" Toji asked. Shinji's face looked grim as he pointed to a massive shadow that was tearing its way through the Pacific Fleet like a hot knife through butter. Shinobu shrieked.

"It's another one! An Angel!"

"Goddammit! Can't I ever get a break? And I don't have Unit-01 to pilot either!" Asuka smirked and patted Shinji on the back.

"Poor Third Child. I guess you'll just have to come with me in Unit-02. That way you can see my marvelous piloting skills." Shinji just stared at her.

"I'd rather eat Misato's cooking and die of food poisoning. You get in that Eva and do your job yourself, Sohryu."

Asuka huffed and ran off to get into her plugsuit. Toji looked at Shinji worriedly.

"Hey man, what if she can't beat that thing? Then we're toast!"

"Don't worry Toji. Just cause I don't have Unit-01 doesn't mean I'm useless." Unsheathing the Tsukikage, Shinji began drawing energy from the Atlamillia to augment his strength. His companions watched in awe as the young pilot become covered in a blazing red aura.

At that moment, Unit-02 emerged from the hangar, prog knife in hand and ready to battle. Turning on the external speakers, Asuka yelled, "Watch and learn, Third Child. This is how a real Eva pilot works." She knelt down as if to kick off the ship but Gaghiel, the Sixth Angel, leaped from the ocean lunged straight at Asuka, who froze at seeing the immense size of the Angel.

Shinobu and Toji screamed in fright while Shinji got into a stance and, kneeling into a battoujutsu position (A/N: Think Kenshin Himura before he unsheathes his sword), swept the Tsukikage out in an arc.

"Shockwave Roar!" A curved wind tunnel of white-hot ki smashed into Gaghiel, forcing it back into the water with a screech of pain. Unit-02 looked down at Shinji as Asuka tried to figure out just what the hell he did. Hearing a loud roar, the redhead looked up and brought the prog knife up just in time, jamming it up the Angel's chin to fend it off.

Asuka and Shinji stood on the deck, waiting for the heavenly messenger to reappear. Meanwhile…

**(Back in the helm)**

"Way to go you two! That's how it's done!" Misato's elation was short-lived, however, when she saw Kaji making his getaway in a chopper. Growling, she smacked the Admiral in the head.

"Do something! Shoot that cowardly bastard down!"

"I can't. All our anti-air missiles fell overboard when that damn toy got up."

**(Back on deck)**

"Take this you bastard!" Asuka screamed as she swung the knife again at the Angel's mouth.

"Aerial Shotgun!" Shinji made a pointed thrust as a large burst of concentrated energy struck the enemy's underbelly. The two attacks successfully pushed Gaghiel back underwater. Shinji was breathing heavily. The Atlamillia's power was really taking its toll on his body.

"This is getting us nowhere. Hey Asuka!"

"What do you want, Third Child?"

"Next time it comes up, try to wrench its mouth open so I can get a clear shot at the core. I can't do much against that thing's thick hide."

"Whatever. And you're teaching me how you do that later."

'_Not on your life, you bitch…_' Shinji thought as the shadow came rushing at the _Over the Rainbow _again. On schedule, the monster took a leap and dived at the ship. Eyes blazing, Shinji got into position as Asuka caught the giant fish with Unit-02 and tried to pull its gaping maw open and keep it that way.

All of a sudden, the Tsukikage burst into a bright light. Shinji and the others looked at the blade in wonder as it seemed to elongate before their very eyes. The light got brighter, forcing the three to cover their eyes. Then, as quickly as it began, the light stopped. Looking down at his weapon, Shinji gasped in amazement.

The weapon had transformed. The Tsukikage appeared to anyone who knew about weapons as a katana, though now it looked even more so. The blade had extended to five feet in length, with the hand guard changing from blue to red. Topping off the change was a picture of a cloud at the base of the blade.

Staring in shock at his beloved weapon, Shinji was trying to figure out just what happened until he heard a familiar voice whisper in his mind.

'_You've done well Shinji. Your training with the Tsukikage has caused it to build-up into its next form: the Heaven's Cloud. From what I know of the sword, it has two more such build-ups. Only by increasing your own strength can you empower the sword. Keep working hard, and make us all proud,_' Simba's voice reverberated through Shinji's head.

Smiling to himself, he was forced to look up as Asuka let out a screech, "Anytime today, Third! I can't hold this damn thing much longer!"

Bending his knees slightly, Shinji got into a stance. Shinobu and Toji stood back and watched as their friend drew even more energy from the Atlamillia.

"Let's see how you like my favorite finishing move, you overgrown tuna! FLYING GUILLOTINE!!"

Taking the handle of the Heaven's Cloud in both hands, Shinji swung the blade like a baseball bat, sending a giant spinning, razor-sharp disc of energy straight at Gaghiel's core. The attack struck true, slicing right through the red orb. However, it didn't stop there. Everyone on board the Pacific Fleet was struck dumb as the massive disc weaved its way through the celestial being's body and literally cut the entire Angel in half.

Back in the helm, Misato shakily picked up the microphone and, finding her voice…

"SHINJI! Just what the fuck was THAT!!"

Turning back to the others, Shinji ignored his guardian's screams and smirked at Toji.

"Told you I wasn't useless without my Eva," he said. As the last words left his mouth, he staggered some before beginning to collapse. Only Shinobu's catching him prevented a painful meeting between Shinji's head and the ship deck. The boy smiled and gave his girlfriend a soft kiss on the lips, causing her to blush a little before she kissed him back.

Looking at her new co-worker and the girl in his arms, Asuka could only think, '_Such raw, destructive power…I must HAVE IT!_'

Shinji shuddered. What the hell was that sensation he just felt? It couldn't be the ocean. That would've just given him nausea…

'_I felt as if my entire soul was falling down an abyss…I better talk to Simba and Artie. They may know something.'_

* * *

Well that's Chapter 7 everyone. Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in the middle? Send me reviews, and lots of them. I love your comments. And for those wondering why Shinji is so afraid of water, Xiao was once a cat. Cat's tend to hate water. Need I say more?

Next time on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 8: A Strange Crystal, Even Stranger News. As Asuka starts school in Tokyo-3, she finds a weird rock shard laying in the road. And after consulting with Simba, Shinji is told some shocking revelations. What are they? Keep reading to find out.

Hope to see you guys in the next installment. This is Ama no Murakumo, signing off for now!


	8. A Strange Crystal, Even Stranger News

_Disclaimer: I have no ownership to anything Eva, Love Hina, or Dark Cloud related, so leave me alone about it. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again._

Author's Notes

1) Keep reviews coming at me everyone. I'd really like to see a review for every person that reads my stories. I love hearing how you all enjoy the way things go.

2) PaperOyster: Thanks for bringing the umbilical cable issue from Chapter 1 to my attention. I forgot to mention that the Atlamillia's energy allows Shinji to keep the internal battery of Unit-01 charged for 10 minutes rather than the usual one, rendering the cable useless in many battles.

3) dragon-cloud16: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Good deduction though, as I was planning on having Motoko train Asuka in kendo. It only makes sense, as Tsuruko taught Shinji in the ways of the sword…for a while anyway.

Well now, let's get this show on the road! On with the story!

* * *

**A Moon's Shadow**

_By Ama no Murakumo_

**Chapter 8: A Strange Crystal, Even Stranger News**

Second Child Asuka Langley Sohryu would've told anybody that cared to listen that she was the most important person in the universe. After all, she was an Eva pilot. An elite chosen one, trained from childhood to pilot humanity's last defense against the Angels. The fact that her Evangelion was the first ever combat-ready model seemed to add credibility to her argument. However…

She failed to take into account the fact that in terms of Angel kills, she was seriously lagging behind NERV's top pilot and unofficial poster-boy: The Third Child, Shinji Ikari. By all technicalities, he had been the one to land the killing blow to every single Angel that had appeared. That totaled up to four kills for Shinji, and one assist each for Asuka and Rei Ayanami, the First Child and pilot of Unit-00.

Then again, that never stopped her from stretching the truth to make herself look superior. As she walked to school that day, she leaned her head back slightly, thinking of all the students who had flocked to her after her arrival. It seemed as if she had immediately become the most popular girl in school overnight. Not that she was surprised, of course! Add to that the fact that she had actually been offered kendo training by a member of the God's Cry school, Motoko Aoyama, and she was riding on cloud nine! Her newspaper ad seeking a swordsmanship trainer had gleaned several potential recruits, but Aoyama was the best hands-down.

Hearing something roll around the ground after colliding with her foot, the Second Child looked down. Sitting on the ground, seemingly innocent, was a small vibrant purple stone. Awed by its beauty, Asuka picked it up, only to feel a strange rush of energy flow through her body.

'_Incredible! I feel like I can run the marathon with no problem. I don't know what this thing is, but finders keepers!'_

With that, she continued her trek to school, only at a run this time.

**(Tokyo-3 Municipal Middle School)  
**"…then I aimed for the core with my prog knife, and BAM! No more Angel…" the German fireball exclaimed, to the amazement of her audience. Among her new admirers was Tomoe Fumiko, the resident prep girl and Shinobu's former bully. After the redhead had arrived, Tomoe had literally lost all interest in Shinji, who she had before attempted to seduce away from his girlfriend.

'_Asuka-san is sooo awesome. Why did I ever bother with that weakling Ikari when he was a washout as a pilot…_'

Sitting not even 30 feet away from the group, underneath their favorite cherry blossom tree, were Shinji and Shinobu. The girl looked rather miffed at hearing the redhead hellion degrade her boyfriend and make herself look like some sort of Messiah.

"I can't believe her! After all the pain you go through as a pilot, she has the nerve to…"

"It's alright Shin-chan," Shinji interrupted, causing Shinobu to look at him strangely.

"Shinji?"

"I don't want any fame in regards to piloting. If there's one thing I hate, it's being the center of attention because of something that causes pain. To tell the truth, if I'm ever going to be famous for something, I'd rather it be for me running the best restaurant in Japan." Shinobu looked pensive for a moment before nodding.

"Oh. I guess I can understand that. But getting off that topic, I really enjoyed going to see Norune Village yesterday. It was beautiful! Though I truthfully could've done without the news…"

With Misato and Keitaro's permission, Shinji had used his world map yesterday to bring Shinobu to Norune Village to introduce her to everybody he knew back home.

**(_Flashback_)  
**"Shinji! You're back! Welcome home."

"Hey Shinji! Good to see ya again. How about coming over for a spar sometime?"

"Wow Shinji. I didn't know you were so popular around town." The boy in question chuckled.

"It kinda helps when you're cousin is the mayor of the town…" he replied. Shinobu giggled in response. They were quickly approached by a heavily muscled man wielding a massive club in one hand and a pig-like creature in the other. He introduced himself to the newcomer as Do macho (pronounced Doe-macho), the village's martial arts expert and best hunter.

"Well I'll be damned. Never thought I'd see the day that Iron Arm Ikari would get himself a girlfriend!" Shinobu looked confused as she heard how Domacho addressed Shinji.

"Iron Arm Ikari?" Shinji laughed as he noticed the bewildered look in her eyes.

"That's what the people around here call me."

"And with good reason too! Little lady, you won't have to worry about protection with Shinji as your boyfriend. He has a reputation in these parts as the most powerful swordfighter around. In fact, he uses that thing with such skill and precision, that most opponents think he's got a third arm, or at least an extension of one…that's how he got the name 'Iron Arm Ikari,'" the burly man said, clapping Shinji on the back hard for good measure.

Shinobu was shocked. She knew her boyfriend was good with a sword, but she never imagined he would have a reputation like this at such a young age.

Shaking his head, Shinji turned back to Domacho. "Hey Do, I need to talk to Artie and Simba. Seen 'em anywhere?"

The older man tapped his chin a couple times before snapping his fingers. "Now I remember! They were headed out towards the Divine Beast Cavern about an hour ago. They should be back any-"

"We're right here."

"GAH!" Domacho jumped three feet in the air, tossing his club straight up as he swung around to face the laughing Fairy King and Norune mayor. As soon as he opened his mouth to yell at the two for sneaking up on him like that, the weapon came crashing down right on his head.

Shinji watched in torrid amusement as the martial artist collapsed in a heap, a rather sizable bump forming on his head.

Chuckling at the two elders' antics, the young swordsman took Shinobu by the hand and walked over to them.

"Hey guys, nice job on scaring the crap out of him. But I didn't come here to watch you two terrorize the villagers. I feel that we may have a bit of a problem." Simba looked at the boy thoughtfully.

"What's the matter Shinji?" He then went into an explanation of how he felt that strange abysmal sensation on the _Over the Rainbow_. Once he finished describing the feeling, he immediately noticed that Simba's face turn chalk white.

'_Oh shit…that can't be good news._'

"Shinji, I'm afraid things are a lot more grave than I imagined. I recently took notice that many of the creatures in the world have become highly aggressive, attacking even their own family units. Arthur and I have been investigating the strange behavior for several days now. Even Dran admits to feeling an ominous voice tell him to maim and destroy the villagers here for the past couple days."

Now Shinji was _really_ worried. If whatever this was had the power to try and influence Dran, God of the Beasts, then the world was in some hella deep shit.

"I'm worried, Shinji, that the Dark Genie may be behind this." The young couple's eyes bugged out. Shinobu had been told about the Dark Genie by Shinji shortly after they started dating. If that thing was alive, then…

"Hold on one Matataki Minute here! I thought Grandpa Toan annihilated that monster!"

"That's what I believed as well. But it is possible that the Genie managed to survive the battle with Toan and escape into a time vortex. It did, after all, have the power to travel through time…" Shinji sighed.

"So now what? If that _thing_ shows up here, then we're pretty much sitting ducks."

"Not so fast Shinji. We do have a chance. You could fight the Dark Genie, after all."

"Eh?"

"Look at your arm, you damn ninny!" Artie yelled. The boy looked down, only to have his face shine with understanding.

"Of course! The Atlamillia! If Grandpa Toan could do it, then I'll just have to do my damnedest to live up to his legacy." Simba nodded sagely.

"Indeed. Add on the fact that you are much more powerful than Toan was when he defeated the Genie, and I believe we have our own secret weapon to use against the monster."

Shinji pumped his fist into the air, before realization dawned on him and forced his hand back to his side. He had to train, and HARD! There was no way in the nine levels of hell he was giving that creature the chance to hurt Shinobu or his other friends. Turning to his girlfriend, Shinji took her hands in his and pulled her close.

"Shin-chan, if we want to have a chance against that thing, then I'll need to spend a lot of time training. I don't want to risk having you or anyone else getting hurt by the Dark Genie if I have the only thing that can stop it." Shinobu nodded, a fierce look in her eyes that surprised everyone present except Shinji.

"I know that Shinji, and I plan on helping you in any way I can. I'll even train with you if you'll teach me." Now even Shinji was surprised. Shinobu, the timid girl who preferred creating things in the kitchen over destroying them, was actually asking for training in how to fight!

Arthur smiled. "I think we have somebody who could help you with that, Ms. Maehara," he said as he brought his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. The young couple turned around and watched as a thin, long haired brunette approached. Wearing the traditional Norune poncho, only in black, she had a forest green work shirt on underneath, long black pants covering her legs, and white sandals on her feet. What made her intimidating, however, was the long scar that stretched from the right side of her temple, over her nose, and down under the left side of her face. Shinji cocked an eyebrow at who his cousin had chosen as a trainer for Shinobu.

"Artie what the fuck have you been smoking? You do realize that you're asking my girlfriend to train under Amelia Mustang, one of the most brutal fighters in Norune, right? That woman hospitalized me for a month when she was training me!"

Shinobu's eyes widened. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…

"Listen Shinji, if Shinobu wants to become stronger, then there really isn't a better teacher in the area. I'll even send her with you back to Japan. Now that you've told me more about those monsters attacking the city, I figured that since you can't stay here, we'll send a trainer with you."

"Well I guess it's Shinobu's call." With that, everyone turned to the shy blue haired girl.

'_Auuu, I'm scared. This lady seems to be a good teacher, but strict. But if I don't, then I'll never become strong enough to protect myself better. Shinji can't fight that monster at his best if he always has to protect me.'_

"I'll do it!" Amelia smirked.

"This ought to be interesting…"

(_End Flashback_)  
"So when did Amelia say she would begin training you?"

"We start tomorrow. I'll do my best though," she replied. Shinji smiled in response.

"That's all anybody could ever ask of you Shinobu. If things ever get too rough, just let me know. Okay?"

"Of course I will Shinji. I know you'll protect me no matter what…" The two lovebirds smiled before Shinji leaned in and captured his girlfriend's lips in a soft kiss. The pilot wrapped his arms gently around Shinobu's waist and pulled her into his lap with their lips still locked together.

With her audience dispersed to finish their lunches, Asuka was spending the rest of her time watching the two as they embraced each other.

The redhead growled. Stupid Invincible Shinji thought he was _so_ great just because he had that harlot draped all over him. Once she got good enough at kendo, then she'd put that little bastard in his rightful place: under her foot!

The bell suddenly rang, breaking Asuka out of her thoughts as everybody went back to their classrooms for the second half of the day. Her first lesson with Motoko was today after school, and she was prepared to do anything to make herself better in the eyes of others.

As she picked up her things and trekked back to class, she felt a sudden urge to bludgeon Shinji with her book bag, followed by a thought that she knew didn't come from her own head.

'_Soon…I'll be able to finish what I started all those millennia ago._'

* * *

Well there's Chapter 8. Sorry if it's a little short but I had to cut it a little bit in order to get things prepared for the next chapter. For those of you who are automatically going to think Asuka's been possessed by the Dark Genie, here's a news flash…SHE'S NOT! You'll find out what's wrong with Asuka soon enough, but first we need to kill a few more Angels. Until then, you'll just have to sit and stew over it.

By the way, if anybody can guess as to who or what is possessing Asuka through the stone, kudos to you. Also, keep sending in reviews. I love to see those comments so keep 'em coming.

Next time on A Moon's Shadow, Chapter 9: Attack of the Clones. Israfel, the Seventh Angel, arrives and proceeds to put the smack down on the Evas. Also, Asuka jumps the gun a bit and tries to put Shinji in his place by shoving a sword up his ass. How will the pilot of Unit-01 cope with being attacked by not only the enemy, but his supposed comrade as well. Finally, Shinobu shows immediate progress as her training under the vicious warrior Amelia begins.

This is Ama no Murakumo signing off till next time. Enjoy the story!


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